There are plenty of people I know happily employed in the entertainment industry in the largest city in the state. "Completely dystopian outside of tech" is a total exaggeration.
I think California is far more tolerable if you don't have kids. Without kids, you don't need a big place. A couple could live comfortably in California in a home that's 1000'.
But once you have kids, you need to live in a zip code with good schools, and you need SPACE.
That gets expensive.
And the city itself is a dump outside a few outrageously priced neighborhoods.