Monica,
Welcome to FGRV.
It sounds like your solution to the California budget crisis is to become a resident of another state. If you do, that doesn't mean you have to stay out of California. Take your time and do your research before you make decisions about a "home state". The internet makes research a lot easier. Become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of different factors as they apply to you personally. Then consider everything as a whole and you will arrive at a good decision.
Here are a few things to consider:
<blockquote>1. Whether or not a state has an income tax on residents
2. Physical address requirements
3. Taxes and fees on vehicle registrations
4. Sales tax rates that may be charged on a vehicle at the time of registration (even a used vehicle already taxed in another state)
5. Requirements to have a vehicle present in the state for an annual safety inspection (may require an expensive trip to the state to meet a useless bureaucratic requirement)
6. Driver's
license requirements
7. Difficulty and expense of dealing with the state's DMV
8. Annual personal property tax rates (personal property includes vehicles in most states)
9. Vehicle insurance and health insurance requirements and costs
</blockquote>Others will be able to add to this list.
The costs of these things vary greatly from location to location, sometimes even within states. Most fulltimers settle on Texas or South Dakota for their declared state of residence. Neither has a state income tax and depending on what your income is that can save you plenty of money every year. There are other states that also have advantages. You may get tapped for sales tax on your purchase price for a new or used vehicle when you register in most states. I read somewhere that Texas will charge sales tax on a vehicle registration transfer from another state if that vehicle has been owned for less than six months. You will need to double check that. You will need to get a driver's
license in your new state and surrender your California driver's license. You will probably need to switch the registration of all of your vehicles, or at least your tow vehicle, to your new state. At least when you leave California you won't have to worry about smog tests on your vehicle anymore. You can get an Escapees address that will fulfill residency requirements in either Texas or South Dakota. Do some google searches. There is lot's of info available on all of these subjects.