In California you could probably have a popular governor who appealed directly to the people (abusing the initiative system), even with a mostly-dysfunctional legislature.
Yeah, Schwarzenegger tried that and failed because his 2005 ballot initiatives (including his non partisan redistricting) were in an unnecessary special election and attached with some hard right propositions. All 8 went down in flames.
He then fired his chief of staff and replaced her with a Democrat and governed from the center, even from the center left. I preferred him to Gray Davis since Davis was so in bed with the prison guards union that he never used his clemency powers for fear it would cost a prison guard job.
A few years later, in 2010 Schwarzenegger dusted off the redistricting initiative and it passed.