Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kristen Ruel Gaffney is fed up with California and plans to leave.
Gaffney, 34, blamed California’s homelessness and drug crisis for why she fled to Nashville, Tennessee, with husband Tyler, a two-time Super Bowl champion, and their three children.
Gaffney, a native of San Diego, told Fox News She was fed up with the policies put forth by President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the city’s trouble-mongering government.
“The more we claim, and I use the word claim very strongly, that we are helping these people, the worse it seems to be,” Gaffney said.
“A lot of people come to L.A. and think, this is the land of my dreams, this is the land of opportunity, this is where I can make something and make a name for myself,” Gaffney said. Ta. “Homelessness in LA…there’s nothing like it. I’ve been to the East Coast, the West Coast, and the Bay Area.”
“This is the dirtiest city we’ve ever seen,” she said.
Gaffney said he had donated large sums of money through his taxes and was angry that politicians wanted him to donate more.
“You have taken enough from us and you are just showing me that things are getting worse,” she told the outlet.
The move was specifically blamed on the homelessness crisis caused by the rising cost of living, which created an unsafe living environment for Gaffney to raise her young children.
“Frankly, I feel like I was taken advantage of a little bit when I too had to struggle and create opportunities for myself through hard work and education,” Gaffney said.
“Why should someone else get a piece of my efforts?” she asked, referring to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has appealed to wealthy residents to pay for housing the homeless. Ta.
The LA4LA campaign was announced by Blass during his State of the Union address earlier this week.
Bass argued that the homeless crisis is driving businesses and customers away, costing taxpayers city resources and creating safety hazards.
In 2022, California had the largest homeless population in the country, accounting for 28% of all homeless people.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “California also had the highest percentage of people unsheltered, at 68% (123,423 people unsheltered).” The report will be released in December 2023.
Gaffney says she’s “continuously giving,” but she’s not seeing results, especially when it comes to donations from single mothers, veterans and homeless families cared for by the elderly, who should be the first recipients of free housing. He said no.
“Drug addicts should be last on the list,” she says. “We should focus on those who need help.”
Gaffney added that she is tired of seeing her hard-earned money go to people who live in “the system” without making any effort to break away from it.
“Let’s create more opportunities and less of the ‘handout’ system that people absolutely rely on.”
“We’re always giving,” Gaffney said. “What more do you want from us?”
The Gaffneys join a growing list of celebrities moving from California.
Actor Scott Baio traded his $4 million mansion in California to live in Florida out of the same fear as the Gaffneys.
Sylvester Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, announced in February that they were moving to Florida, but did not mention that crime was the reason.
“Crime is everywhere, and there’s crime in Florida. That’s why I didn’t move because of crime. You can find it everywhere, even in small towns,” said the mother of three. Ta.
“I think California is probably the most beautiful state in the United States. I absolutely love it, but I just needed a change,” she added. “I felt like I had lived there long enough, but life is short and I wanted to make a change rather than spend the rest of my life sitting in one house.”
