Undoubtedly, California has a stellar economy, but you see, states like Texas, which are objectively awful to live in (flat, no interesting geography in the most populated parts of the state, terrible weather, hurricanes, etc), are also similarly well positioned in the rankings of GDP.
If Texas were a country, it'd be the 8th largest economy in the world! This is a figure much less often cited. Texas has a smaller population 30 million v 38 million and is growing much faster in real terms (2.1% v 5.7%).
This is in spite of its objective awfulness. People are moving to Texas because of the economy. If Texas were in California's geographic position, one would imagine it to be an even more popular destination.
This isn't an endorsement of the Texan government, because there are many things I disagree with them on. But the idea that California's economy is singularly unique in the United States is silly. Many states with objectively worse attributes are faring just as well, and may even be poised to overtake california.
How embarassing would it be for Texas, a hot muggy swamp of a state with awful geography and terrible weather, to overtake beautiful California economically? To think people would actually eschew the ocean and the mediterranean climate and perfect weather to move to Texas simply because California mismanaged the state so much. This is the real risk.
Models show that by 2049, Texas will overtake california as the more populous and more economically productive state. Is that really the future you want? Is that the future California deserves? As a native Californian, I hope the state can turn itself around. It deserves to be a great state, but the path its on is one of decline.
One need just look at almost any metric. It's no just population or economy. Even by 'liberal' metrics, Texas is growing. For example, Texas has the largest growth rate in alternative energy sources: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/texas-trumps-cal.... There's a very clear growth curve in Texas, while California's is much choppier and doesn't appear to be going in any particular direction. At some point Californians need to actually want to continue winning instead of resting on their laurels.