There’s also the fact that when the Cold War ended the defense industry, whose employees tend to vote conservatively, shuttered offices or moved out of state. Hard to believe, but California was a net exporter of conservatives once upon a time. The current population, present company excluded of course, is what’s left (no pun intended).
“There’s also the fact that when the Cold War ended the defense industry, whose employees tend to vote conservatively, shuttered offices or moved out of state. “
This is exactly true. And it was compounded by Sacramento’s ever increasing hostility to business, particularly through AQMD mandates (air quality management district for those outside Cali).
My part of OC used to be heavily populated with aerospace engineering firms. I recall my neighbors relocating to Texas and Georgia as those firms left for friendlier climes. When the big players left so did all of the smaller ancillary firms that supported them. The neighborhoods that they once lived in are unrecognizable.