Voting Research has studied various cities and ranked them on a liberal-conservative spectrum. Four of the top nine most liberal cities are in coastal California (including my current home). But it's notable that this liberalism is not a statewide phenomenon; several of the most conservative places in the country are also in California, usually just behind the first range of mountains.
Apparently, as the climate ceases to be mild, so do the political tempers. And that's not just a joke: it's politically symptomatic that some people prefer a large amount of private personal space in an nasty place to a smaller slice of a pleasant environment.
Bakersfield is ranked 8th and in large part that is due to history. Thier is a large % of the population that either are from Ark., Tex., and Ok. or are the descendants of people from those states. This means they brought thier Right wing Christian values with them. The newcomers, ie Latinos and African Americans, dont vote and are not surveyed.
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