California is where liberal dreams go to die

In his 1939 novel on American disillusionment, “The Day of the Locust,” Nathanael West chronicled people who flocked to Hollywood with high hopes, only to face a reality that they “had come to California to die.” These days, California is where liberal dreams go to die.

If there’s anywhere that could serve as the perfect sandbox for sweeping liberal ideas that are a longshot at the national level, it would be the Golden State. California is led by a staunch liberal, Democrats control every state-level office, and they enjoy supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature.