I also grew up in LA and am glad to be out of there.
There is water here but there are not enough dams. That can be fixed but it could get ugly. The Auburn dam comes to mind.
One nice thing about living in the center of California is that you are always a short drive from the coast (Monterrey) or the mountains (Yosemite, Mineral King). The author was making a case for retirees coming here by stressing the expansion of healthcare facilities.
Have you been to Mineral King lately?
Last time I was there it was literally a garbage dump for the lazy lefties that won’t carry their own trash out.