I say this as a Californian: deep blue states foster some of the worst Democrats. Not exclusively, but definitely seemingly disproportionately. The wealthy will find politicians they can capture and corrupt. They may consider Republicans easier, but if Rs are powerless the grift,uh… finds a way.

Yeah, a deep blue state probably has a pretty wide definition of what a democrat is. It also sounds like CA has a particularly toxic relationship between the legislature and at least this particular governor.