Texas generates more power than it needs (which is good because I seem to recall they also aren't tied to grids of neighboring states?). California doesn't. California banks on the probability that it can import power from Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona, and that all those states won't have one big correlated, synchronized demand peak, which of course is just stochastic. Sometimes you get the worst case.
And despite whatever stereotypes you might have about Texas, it produces more power from renewable sources (beside hydro) than any other state in America, by a pretty fair margin.
Texas seems to get hate for some reason but everyone I know that lives there (and many have moved from California) love it. I’ve been many times and I haven’t found much to dislike other than I prefer the structure of East Coast cities and towns, which is a personal preference.
Texas is affordable, welcoming, and plays to its strengths. It seems like the land of opportunity today and it makes sense it is growing so fast. It seems like I hear jealousy about it in terms of it being a moderate to slightly conservative state overall.
This is just a guess. Most housing built after 2000 have AC units but our weather tends to be mild so people don't run it normally. Heatwave is causing everyone to flip on their ACs. Also in the middle summer, hydropower i would guess is at its lowest output. Also noticed a lack of a breeze at the beach today which would be affecting wind power if there wasn't significant air movement.
I think California in general has an identity crisis right now - a victim of its own success.
It is probably the most unequal place in America in terms of wealth and income. But yet it is almost in denial about that.
It is a huge polluter but refuses to really take action outside of token policies. Nuclear reactors might be a bit too much risk considering the seismic activity - but thorium reactors could be safely deployed. Regardless, sprawl is everywhere and it’s all cars with almost no viable public transit. If you take California public transit it’s almost never by choice.
It wants to punitively tax the wealthy and even those with some good fortune in a successful startup,(new wealth tax proposal is evidence) but these are the biggest revenue sources and they are leaving, like NYC to escape the taxes. The new proposal would tax you even AFTER you leave - good luck!
They keep looking for tax revenue to prop up their pretty bad public school system but yet have the most regressive property tax law in the nation. NIMBY and “I was here first” mentality is rampant for such an inclusionary place.
I think the issue with property tax policy in California is that it is nativist. You essentially lock-in a price and if you don’t move, over time you’ll be paying peanuts compared to people buying a home for the first time. This starved communities of revenues so they keep jacking income tax on workers while people sit in or rent their homes that have appreciated to millions of dollars and pay almost nothing to the community. You can also pass the property down to kids who will continue to pay very little tax on it and be able to rent it for profit.
I have my own issues with property tax in that it penalizes improving a property (should be primarily based only on land value, not what is built on it for redudebtial) However it’s a tax that should be better at ensuring funds stay more local than a state tax. This means the schools and public resources can be funded by the community as they see fit. It’s a local tax abd I think local policies and power are best left to localities. It’s easier and more practical for citizens to participate in local government and it effects us most. Much better than sending all the tax revenue to a centralized government that shreds it apart like hyenas.
States like Texas get it right imo. No income tax and higher property taxes which the localities set mainly. With a portion going to the state to run and to distribute to communities that need a bit of help.