Probably because it is inconsequential even if expensive, especially for the upper middle class. I currently pay about ~$50 per month for electricity in Seattle

Probably because it is inconsequential even if expensive, especially for the upper middle class. I currently pay about ~$50 per month for electricity in Seattle. Even if you tripled that cost in California, I probably wouldn't notice despite being "expensive". Household goods use significantly less electricity than they used to, which also helps.