California got away with having this like "progressive" or whatever reputation for a long ass time, I think mostly because the way most of us non-Californians experience California is mediated by media images of Hollywood, it's excesses and self-promotion.

15 years ago, these sort of "rubes" who bought this image would ask people like me why I don't move there, where it would be more accommodating (in their mind) of my values (I am against liquidating poor people and also want to protect environmental resources). I grew up in a culturally mediated area with a national reputation management strategy, so I knew California was different than it's reputation.

anyway, I gotta say, there are way less rubes these days when it comes to California, and not because everybody suddenly became great critical thinkers and historians, either lol.