They came to start new lives and escape old ones. They came for fame and fortune. They came because they heard jobs, food and opportunity were plentiful. California was as much a state of mind as it was a state in the union, and all kinds were welcome, to one degree or another, to seek their dreams here. Now, however, with the state facing a possible energy crisis of epic proportions, many Californians' gut reaction is one of self-preservation.
People are nervous.
It doesn't take much to get them thinking it might be time to close the door behind them. Paradise is full, and there isn't enough power to keep it from feeling a lot like Hades. Yet on the outskirts of many metropolitan areas, the framers keep framing and the roofers keep roofing. New communities are taking shape from Roseville to San Diego. It was the elegant kitchen and the swirling wrought-iron accents on the curving staircase that got her.