When I moved to California some years ago, I also found the default combination of political positions weird. The best half-serious description I could come up with was that California is a country of conservative libertarian social democratic hippies. Those words don't make sense together, but neither does California. At least to someone from the left/green end of the European political spectrum.
I don't know if I buy the explanation in the article, but at least it's an explanation for the weirdness.
I don't know if I buy the explanation in the article, but at least it's an explanation for the weirdness.