Yes, California is neoliberal hell. Yes, California is part of the United States and the US is evil, so by extension so is California. The state was built on stolen land and genocide, just like the other 49.
But I've been in the weird position of defending California on this site not because it's "good", but just because I think for those of us who have no choice but to live in the US, it's the least bad option.
I think the issues around homelessness are a good microcosm to look at. Yeah, CA is really shitty towards our homeless population, no doubt. But at the same time there are quite a few people here who actually want solutions that help homeless people and there are programs at the state and local level - feeble as they may be - that try to do this. Meanwhile, since I'm a transplant I can compare CA to my native Midwestern state. Back there, they are only a couple steps below "just fucking shoot homeless people we don't care". Literally every person I know back home sees homelessness as a "problem" that just needs to go away. If I was homeless I would never even consider going back to where I grew up, I'd stay here.
So yeah, I would sorta defend CA here. And now I feel like over the last year you've seen how absolutely christofascist the red states are going w/r/t abortion, trans issues, even gay marriage, you all are starting to see just how awful most of the US can be for anyone who isn't a well-off cishet white guy.
Fun CA fact: if you can land a job in CA state or local govt (including in the massive UC system), your health insurance is required by law to cover all gender affirming care, including expensive surgeries.
Saving on rent, probably
They sure fucked up in that case, the "low" rent in Houston isn't so low any more and they get the joys of nine months of aggressively hot and humid weather with mosquitoes the size of gumballs and some of the worst drivers on the planet
We desperately need a :mao-aggro-shining: to end the vicious American urban cycle of high rents making people move to low rent areas, driving the rents there right up to the level they left behind.
I sure as hell wouldn't move to Texas, for all the reasons you said.
There's a lot of disparate environments in Texas, so the sweaty, unbearably hot life experience is mostly an East Texas thing. If you want to live like an Oklahoman, check out Dallas, and if you like desert scrubland West Texas seems nice. I really need to get the fuck out of the humidity zone.
edit: but in all those places you're only a couple of white guys away from hearing chud shit, so... :deeper-sadness: