Should We Depopulate Southern California?

Some weeks ago I posted on the upcoming water crisis in the southwest US. It seems to have already arrived.

For those of you who want to pump water from the Great Lakes, the GL are on a down cycle that may last 50 years or so. Not a good idea.

And southern CA is know for heavy air pollution, which Governor Terminator is addressing with some major proposals.

Questions:

Is it rational to continuing moving people into southern California?

Would it be more rational to create policies causing people to move out of southern CA?

Who would do this and how would it work?

Should we wait until conditions are so bad people depopulate on their own?

If southern CA starts to depopulate and housing prices drop, will people then begin moving back?

Mark Thoma has a post up today on “smart growth” and sprawl, forcing the depopulation of southern CA could be the ultimate smart growth move – or would it be too fascist?

Your thoughts?