In 1964, California actually began a rightward trend when Southern California Republican voters put conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) over to be the party’s presidential standard bearer. In the fall, although the state went heavily for President Johnson, California voters split their tickets and elected conservative actor George Murphy to the US Senate. Later, Californians launched Ronald Reagan on his road to the presidency by electing him governor.
As late as 1986, Californians elected a conservative—George Deukmejian—to the state house.
I lived in California back in those days, and I would not call George Deukmejian a conservative.
I remember when he signed a bill banning semi-automatic rifles in California. Deukmejian signed the bill with then LAPD police chief Daryl Gates in attendance, along with then L.A. County Sheriff Sherman Block, an anti-Second Amendment sheriff.