Disgruntled residents of the Idaho city say the retired California police officers and firefighters who are flocking there aren't conservative enough – and fear they will implement liberal policies (but the newcomers' big pensions have helped revitalize the local economy).

California transplants are stirring up the political mood of a quaint Idaho suburb – with angry locals claiming they aren't conservative enough to fit in.

The new dynamic affecting the Boise-adjacent town of Eagle was revealed this month by the Los Angeles Times in the form of testimony from new and old residents — and local politicians.

They particularly complained that the city of 32,100 people has been bombarded in recent years with newcomers from the Golden State — particularly those drawing big pensions after a career in public service.

Backed by pension funds, the veteran lawyers would quickly replace the long-time residents, they said – citing the so-called “liberal baggage” that the ex-cops and firefighters bring with them as they move in from homes hundreds of miles away.

This ideological conflict recently came to a head in the city's mayoral election this month, in which City Council President Brad Pike won a landslide victory over incumbent Mayor Jason Pierce in a heated runoff.

Not only was the victory a surprise, but it also came at a time when California pension money is quickly becoming the region's “lifeblood,” as the Times report put it.

Scroll down for the video:

Californians are flocking to the picturesque Idaho suburb of Eagle (seen here) — and locals are now complaining that they aren't conservative enough to fit in

This ideological conflict recently came to a head in the city's mayoral election this month, where City Council President Brad Pike (left) won a landslide victory over incumbent Mayor Jason Pierce (right) in a heated runoff.

Both men are Republicans originally from California and spoke to the Times for its report. However, Pierce moved to Eagle more than two decades ago and thus fell out with his rival, who was less influenced by old state politics.

Pierce portrayed his challenger as a closet progressive, but Pike, a retired Santa Clara County fire captain who came to the city shortly after Gavin Newsom was elected, ultimately prevailed.

He told the Times how he moved to the city in 2018 after becoming alienated by the policies of Gov. Newsom and his predecessor Jerry Brown.

“I came here looking for something that is not the liberal, socialist view of California government,” Pike said, revealing how he continues to receive a $123,000 annual pension from the Newsom administration.

“This is a free country, you have the opportunity to go wherever you want,” he continued, citing his long-standing loyalty to Republicans, which he said spans 41 years.

Confronted with the contrasts between himself and his fellow Californian, who came to Eagle in 2003 without a pension, the firefighter said bluntly: “I'm not ashamed to say I brought my CalPERS pension to Idaho.”

These perceived differences are also cited by Eagle's more experienced residents, who are angered by the newcomers – and became a major talking point during the mayoral election.

According to the Times report published days after Pike's victory, the matter is still being debated nearly a month later.

The new dynamic affecting the city bordering Boise was revealed this month in the form of statements from residents — but also feuding politicians, new and old

Located in the Boise Foothills, the idyllic town is now one of the most common places where California pension money is diverted

The city is known for its variety of golf courses, spas and green spaces – including a state park, an outdoor farmers market and grass as far as the eye can see

Legacy development in Eagle can be seen here. It is one of several settlements that have sprung up in recent years to accommodate the influx of newcomers

“A lot of Californians who move here don’t know how much [liberal] “The baggage they bring with them,” Pierce charged as he and other advocates questioned the legitimacy of the so-called conservatism of Pikes and other retirees

“A lot of Californians who move here don’t know how much [liberal] “The baggage they bring with them,” Pierce charged as he and other advocates questioned the legitimacy of the so-called conservatism of Pikes and other retirees.

“They want to give the same benefits to civil servants and public servants here,” Pierce continued.

“And it's like, 'Wait a minute, you literally created a huge deficit in California, and now you want to do the same thing here?'

The crippling debt and deficits the four-term mayor mentioned currently stand at a reported $31.7 billion — as California continues to grapple with concurrent crime and homelessness crises that predated the pandemic.

These problems, long a problem in areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles, have since gotten worse and there appears to be no solution in sight.

Factors that have emerged as sticking points include the economy, financial situation, housing and taxes, all of which served as factors in the decision of Pike and several others to move to the burgeoning location.

When he arrived in Idaho, he recalled to the Times, he was immediately captivated by the city's variety of golf courses, spas and green spaces — including a riverfront state park, an outdoor farmers market and grass as far as the eye could see.

“They want to give the same benefits to civil servants and public servants here,” Pierce continued. “And it's like, 'Wait a minute, you literally created a huge deficit in California, and now you want to do the same thing here?'

The crippling debt and deficits the four-term mayor mentioned currently total a reported $31.7 billion — and stand in stark contrast to the picturesque situation touted in Eagle

As California continues to grapple with concurrent crime and homelessness crises that predated the pandemic, Eagle residents enjoy lower taxes, nicer homes and virtually no crime on properties that are often right on the water

Pike explained how, after moving into one of the many developments in 2019, he finally feels able to “take a breath… and enjoy life.”

As he headed into one of the many new developments surrounding the 50 square kilometer suburb, he explained that he finally felt able to “take a breath… and enjoy life.”

“I came here looking for something that wasn't the liberal, socialist view of government in California,” he said, after Pierce and others accused him and other newcomers of being Republicans in name only.

That claim was echoed by several other former California retirees who spoke to the newspaper, as their takeover of the small, picturesque town appears all but assured.

“I paid $40,000 in income taxes for a few years,” former Long Beach police officer Jorge Grajeda said of his decision to leave Southern California in 2019 after securing his pension.

“I felt so defeated, frustrated and stressed,” he recalled, recalling how he spent more than three decades as an officer on the city’s notoriously thin police force.

When he visited Eagle and its surrounding area, mostly rural landscapes, he said he was impressed by how safe he felt.

In its report, The Times noted that Eagle is now at the top of the list of places where residents receive California pensions.

As of Saturday, nearly 90,000 California public sector retirees are receiving their pensions outside the state.

That claim was echoed by several other former California retirees who spoke to the newspaper, as their takeover of the small, picturesque town in the Boise Foothills appears all but assured

“That's how it used to be when I was a little kid,” he said, remembering the Bay Area before crime became an issue in the '80s.

Today, Grajeda owns four homes in Treasure Valley, the name given to the thousands of acres of grassland surrounding Eagle, which is surrounded by Boise Mountain

He said he lives in one house with his family and rents out the other three, before bragging about how he used taxpayer money to take advantage of low prices and interest rates just before the pandemic.

He said he just couldn't pass up the investment opportunity – while a former L.A. County Sheriff's Department sergeant, who had his name prevented from being published due to threats from a former inmate he helped, said he was after it No longer worried, he used his $128,000 pension to move in 2019.

“You get over it very quickly,” he said as he left behind the state, which still pays for his health insurance today. “They put 30 years of blood, sweat and tears into the city. “You don't feel guilty at all.”

He added that his neighbors are “about 90 percent Republican” — a welcome change from the unstable society of liberal voters he has worked to protect for decades.

“I've been on the front lines of protests, people spitting in your face, throwing bottles and rocks, and you couldn't do anything,” he said. “That was just silly to me.”

However, Pierce continues to disapprove of the new phenomenon, despite having moved from California himself

Noting that most Californians' pensions could be higher than what working people in Idaho earn, he said in the release that it was “ridiculous” for the new residents to call themselves conservatives.

Without providing a reason, he said the newer residents could lead to a push for measures similar to those he said California's current financial situation has spawned

“We take care of ourselves,” Pierce told Fox News Digital in a later interview. “We take care of our neighbors, and there are more and more people who want to take care of them. It's strange.”

Meanwhile, Pierce continues to disapprove of the new phenomenon, despite having moved from California himself.

He told the Times that most Californians' pensions may be higher than what working people in Idaho earn and that it was “ridiculous” for the new residents to call themselves conservatives.

He further claimed that the newer residents could lead to a change in the city's political climate – and that it would seek policies similar to what he said the current situation in California has produced.

“We take care of ourselves,” Pierce told Fox News Digital in a later interview. “We take care of our neighbors, and there are more and more people who want to take care of them. It's strange.”

Using the documentary “Rocky Mountain Heist,” about how Colorado went from a red state to a blue state, to illustrate his fears, he added: “I don't think so.” [the shifting values] is done intentionally by the conservatives or the Republicans.'

He continued: “I think what they're getting is duped into the Democrats' talking points, and they're very easily able to promote their ideas without sounding liberal.”

However, the former L.A. sergeant countered, “70 to 80 percent of us would still be in California” if it weren't for elected officials and their policies.

has contacted Pike's office for comment.