It's very in vogue to bash California and this doesn't even reach to some things that deserve scorn, like the continuing control of the Western States Petroleum Association and the state Chamber of Commerce in policymaking. And yet- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/opinion/california-san-francisco-schools.html

Thanks to progressives who dragged a reluctant Jerry Brown to tax the rich, the progressive income tax that properly tracks the nature of national inequality has saved the state from post-pandemic fiscal ruin.

the 100% renewable standard is a precedent rivaling anywhere in the world on the only long-run issue that matters for planetary survival. It could be faster but literally the whole world is slower.

California is on a path to make its own prescription drugs.
It has its own consumer financial protection bureau.
It continues to set national standards on tailpipe emissions.

The current liberal wonk bill of particulars is really about housing, and considering that rents have fallen by as much as 31% in San Francisco since the pandemic, I think everyone's showing way too much confidence about future policies in a remote-work world.

I mean I agree on the broad critique but really disruptive things are in the midst of shaking out right now that may force people to rethink their priors.

It's like when everyone leaped to criticize the state's vaccine rollout and now it's pretty much at the national average and the grumbling has muted. (Ezra clearly did a late edit on that in his piece!)

I've been at the front of the line for criticizing California's incomprehensible state government for well over a decade. We have terrible problems, in large measure because America has terrible problems. But you can get excessive with this stuff.