This is sadly not true, and I think your final sentence is a clue about that. One problem faced by California is the importation (from other states) of HENRYs

This is sadly not true, and I think your final sentence is a clue about that. One problem faced by California is the importation (from other states) of HENRYs (high-earning-not-rich-yet) who neither understand the fresh-and-local CaliFrench or CalItalian aesthetic, or any other cuisine either. It’s led to a lot of restaurants springing up that pretend to offer the same kind of fresh experience, but are really just terrible. The Grove in the Bay Area is an example of such a restaurant. Ultimately, it is educated consumers that lead to great food — without the demand side of the equation, the supply side whithers. Tokyo surprises not only by offering excellent traditional Japanese items like sushi, onigiri and hashed beef, but also by having pancakes, pizzas and little selections of bratwursts that are world class. This is not because of a diverse population — there are no Italians behind the counter making the pizzas — but because of a very picky and educated consumer base that demands wholesome and authentic food. California’s consumer base isn’t really growing in the right ways, and the downstream effects of that are food that ultimately worse, even as the packaging of “California” gets better.