How do people in California (Los Angeles area) afford a house? How do people make so much money there?

I don't understand why a decent house in southern California costs half a million dollars. It used to be affordable but that was decades ago. Does everyone make 100k each at least a year? How do people with low paying jobs survive? Are people getting ridiculous mortgages like 40 or 50 year apr loans or something? What jobs are available in Los Angeles these days left and do some people really live in the desert like crappy Riverside or Lancaster and commute to Los Angeles?

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