Why can't we have nice stuff?

I just finished a cycling vacation in Colorado with Amber and Sherry. While we were riding along the bike path between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale Amber turned to me and said "This is how the SART would look if there was water in the Santa Ana River."

I thought about that for a few moments before replying "And no graffiti, no broken bottles, no trash, and no homeless encampments."

Why the difference? Why do Southern Californians trash bike paths and use them to house to homeless?