I agree that California has some great policies that other states should follow - but it's somewhat troubling that this article highlights some of the more negative aspects of CA:

> Implementing these taxes nation-wide would ensure the U.S. has the same air quality as Los Angeles.

California still has among the worst Air Quality ratings in the US [1]. Isn't it worth calling out that California needs to improve in this area? For instance, better public transit?

> California has the highest paid teachers in the U.S. and by focusing on teacher pay rather than student achievement (students rank 48th in math and 49th in reading), they have the best teachers in the country.

This hardly seems like a reason for California to pat itself on the back. If we are ranked so low in math & reading, what is the metric we're using to evaluate our teachers and determine that they're the "best in the country"?

[1] http://www.stateoftheair.org/2012/states/california/los-ange...