Hmm, I just moved from California to Maryland. (Ten years ago I made the move in the opposite direction.)
Do you suppose I may have just jumped from the frying pan into the griddle? :)
I made that move four years ago, after I got tired of the frenetic pace in the South SF Bay area. It also bugged me that one of the primary topics of conversation was how ones high tech stocks were doing.
I have O-Neg blood, they used to be glad to see me coming, but after a course of treatment with anti-cancer drugs in 1996, nobody wants my blood anymore.
Well, it seems to me that you have not improved yourself, politics-wise. Both states' legislatures are run by Democrats. Both have Republican governors but they don't seem to be that effective. Arnold, so far, looks like a big disappointment.
Both are high-tax states. Heck, some counties in Maryland impose their own income tax. (It may be that way in California, too.)
If you had lived in northern California you may have had a shot (so to speak) at getting a concealed weapons permit; from what I read, sheriffs in some northern counties will issue them. In Maryland, there is no way--repeat, no way--that you will get a CCW permit unless you have an "in" with someone On High. The state is "may issue" but they really are saying, "no issue." Check with any gun shop in that state if you doubt me.
Move further south for more freedom. That's my recommendation.