You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n
Sign up to start every day with California’s most important stories.<\/p>\n
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n Tech billionaire and former Californian Peter Thiel is pursuing citizenship in Argentina<\/a> out of a concern for where the U.S. seems to be headed, including a tax on billionaires<\/a> in California that will go to voters later this year.<\/p>\n Interest in citizenship by investment surged in 2020, when wealthy people felt trapped by pandemic lockdowns and the restrictions countries put on nonresidents, according to heads of citizenship-by-investment firms.<\/p>\n In 2024, when Trump was elected a second time, interest shot up again, especially from Democrat-heavy states such as California.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more on citizenship by investment and why interest from wealthy Californians continues to skyrocket.<\/p>\n What\u2019s a golden visa?<\/p>\n With the golden visa program, often called citizenship by investment, individuals who invest a hefty amount of money into a country, either through buying property or direct investment, can more easily become permanent residents or citizens.<\/p>\n Firms say Californians now make up as many as 1 in 5 clients from around the globe seeking residency in another country, which isn\u2019t entirely surprising since the state is home to a large number of the world\u2019s wealthiest people<\/a>.<\/p>\n Additional residency as a backup plan<\/p>\n Although many Californians are pursuing residency or citizenship elsewhere because they are worried about the political future of the country, they don\u2019t have concrete plans to move to these newly claimed nations.<\/p>\n Many of these countries make it easy for wealthy Americans as they don\u2019t require you to live there full time to maintain permanent residency.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a little bit like having an insurance policy,\u201d said Paul Williams, chief executive and founder of La Vida Golden Visas, a firm based in London. \u201cYou don\u2019t know if your house is going to burn down or if a plane is going to crash into it, but you take out the policy just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n Residency in European countries<\/p>\n In Europe, the most popular residency programs tend to be in Portugal and Malta.<\/p>\n Most wealthy Americans, and particularly Californians, are interested in residency in a European nation because it allows them to live or work in more than two dozen countries in the European Union.<\/p>\n The amount of capital needed to obtain residency and eventual citizenship varies. In Portugal, it is typical for a family to invest 500,000 euros \u2014 equal to about $579,000 \u2014 in a capital venture or private equity fund, with the requirement that a little more than half of the funds be invested in Portuguese businesses.<\/p>\n Residency seekers can also start a business in the country and invest a smaller amount \u2014 about 175,000 euros, or about $200,000.<\/p>\n The government requires applicants to spend at least two weeks in Portugal for the first two years of their residency visa. It can take up to five years to qualify for permanent residency and a decade or more to become a citizen, plus applicants must demonstrate some understanding of the Portuguese language.<\/p>\n Although it\u2019s not in Europe, New Zealand has been eyed by wealthy Californians for residency. It offers an even faster path to residency than many European countries, requiring that an applicant invest at least NZD 5 million \u2014 about $3 million \u2014 into managed funds or businesses and can take as little as three years to qualify for permanent residency.<\/p>\n If you could afford to pursue residency outside the U.S. using \u201cgolden visa\u201d programs, where would you choose?<\/p>\n Top stories (Lauren Bishop \/ CDC via AP)<\/p>\n Mosquitoes and more are turning California into a disease hot spotCalifornia is emerging as a hot spot for diseases spread by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas<\/a>, with rising cases of West Nile virus, dengue, flea-borne typhus and other infections.A record March heat wave fueled native Culex mosquitoes, driving tenfold increases in positive mosquito samples in L.A. County and a surge in West Nile-positive birds statewide.Aging Californians aren\u2019t leaving their longtime homesInside the bitter war over cows and wilderness at Point Reyes The cherished Northern California park is again a political battleground<\/a> as the Trump administration\u2019s pro-cattle agenda collides with decades of efforts to restore its native ecosystems.After a 2025 settlement paid 11 of 13 ranching families millions to leave the park, two holdout ranches sued, seeking to upend the deal.California planned a nuclear exit. Now it\u2019s reconsideringCalifornia\u2019s last nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, was supposed to shut down in 2025. Now, a growing coalition is pushing to extend that to 2045<\/a>.Supporters say soaring demand for electricity for AI data centers and EVs is colliding with California\u2019s push for 100% clean power, leaving a stubborn gap in round-the-clock, low-carbon supply that should be met by nuclear.More newsCommentary and opinionEditor\u2019s pickMore picksThings to do The Sig Burrito, left, and the BB burrito at Sobuneh in West Hollywood.<\/p>\n (Shelby Moore \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s recipe Ingredients for pancetta vinaigrette.<\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n When the summer New York City heat turned his ripe summer tomatoes into a juicy heirloom mush, The Times\u2019 cooking editor Cody Reiss created this recipe for pancetta, tomato and pickled pepper vinaigrette<\/a>. In addition to the busted tomatoes, he used the liquid from some peppers he\u2019d pickled, a chunk of feta, some garlic and shallot and a few herbs from the garden. The resulting dressing was a revelation.<\/p>\n Question for you<\/p>\n Which is your favorite SoCal airport? Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n Karen B. writes: It\u2019s got to be SNA [John Wayne Airport.] It\u2019s relatively small. Easy to get through check-in. It has many different airlines and they fly to so many locations. It may not be LAX but it\u2019s so much easier to use. Plus it\u2019s only minutes away from where I live.<\/p>\n Photo of the day (Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Games Here\u2019s today\u2019s mini crossword<\/a>, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jack Dolan, investigative reporter How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to fleeing California, the Golden State\u2019s wealthiest residents aren\u2019t only considering locations within the U.S.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435286,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[7,2299,1085,891,2300,2297,340,2303,48,52,51,47,50,49,63,2302,1086,1459,2301,2298,74,225,315,688],"class_list":["post-435285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-california","tag-civic-revolt","tag-covid","tag-covid-19","tag-days","tag-essential-california","tag-israel","tag-l-a","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-may","tag-pandemic","tag-part","tag-president-biden","tag-red-county","tag-san-diego","tag-state","tag-time","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783982086_59_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786977495_472_.jpeg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Ingredients](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786977495_121_.jpeg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786977496_525_.jpeg\")
<\/a> A group of friends resets and reconnects as they drive their cars along California 33. It\u2019s a less-traveled route but feels quintessentially SoCal and shows driving can still be fun<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"Mini](\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/21\/ec\/25146a67473fbc80fa9a6e5bdb82\/minicrossword-kyle.svg\")
<\/p>\n
Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Shi Bradley, audience intern<\/p>\n