Yep.
My old friends in CA let me know how popular Trump is there months ago.
Ted didn't do himself any favors with California voters by being a squish on illegal immigration. Even worse, when he finally did issue a position paper on it, the perception was that his hand was being forced, due to Trump's unwavering bravery on the issue.
By that point, it just looked like a 'me too' effort, and he was easily slapped around by the other candidates (especially Rubio) during the debates. Even then, Ted wouldn't come right out and say what the people want to hear, without equivocating and dancing around the question.
It was jaw droppingly tone deaf and short-sighted of him, but hey, that's how you roll when you're a tool of the Cheap Labor Express.