As I understand it (from friends/family that have lived there), California’s environmental focus is not so much feel-good BS but real problems with pollution/smog. Having never been there, I can guess it must be pretty bad if they are more restrictive than my home state of NJ (with our garbage dumps & incinerators, oil refineries, etc.).
Except for the LA basin SMOG is not as big a problem as people may think.
SMOG = GLOBAL WARMING in that it is something the government can point to so they can control your life.
Like clockwork, every year before Christmas they announce a “spare the air” day and you are not allowed to have a fire in your fireplace.