California has unique geographic features that make it well positioned. It also has strategic geographic resources (like oil). This is like using Saudi Arabia a

California has unique geographic features that make it well positioned. It also has strategic geographic resources (like oil). This is like using Saudi Arabia as a standard of governance since they have greatly improved material conditions using oil money. California does do several things very well. It also does several things poorly. Pointing out its current economic standing does not change that. The fallacy here is that we have to compare california against the best version of itself. Alaska is never going to be a California-level economy because the geography dictates that only a certain kind of person / company will set up there, for example. That doesn't mean the Alaskan government is necessarily bad. Every state has to work within its limits to achieve the best version of itself. Is california the best it could be? I think the answer is obviously no.