There are still a number of defense contractors in Southern California. Lots of aerospace suppliers still here. Remnants of the Howard Hughes era. California managed to drive out almost every major industry. If not for Tesla there’d be no automotive industry left but when I was a kid there were several auto plants here. Movies still have an imprint but a lot of the production is done out of state or out of country. Silicon valley is really more a stroke of luck, because the real innovators were here in the years after Nixon and Reagan. There is no incentive for them to stay, other than ideological. If they actually had to pay taxes here they’d run to another state. But they cheat. Legally cheat, using old tax loopholes. Those loopholes are now mostly closed but they are grandfathered in. Meanwhile, people making $200k a year can’t afford to live anywhere near their work. Maybe Covid-19 will change the dynamics. Work from home, why work in a state that has a 14% income tax bracket? Myself, I’ve got my eyes on Reno. Expensive, because of all the Cali expats. But a move would pay for itself in 18 months.
Nevada side of Lake Tahoe was my choice. It's a 51 minute drive to the VA in Reno.