You are right about that!
The reason California is a democratic state is because of the densely populated areas of California are democratic strongholds. The conservatives dominate in terms of # of counties and square miles.
It is just that most people (liberals) live in the coastal cities such as LA and SF and they dominate the California politics.
And I'm sure there are a couple of dozen good people in Vermont as well, maybe even a few thousand good people in Massachusetts. That doesn't negate the fact that these states are solidly "blue," and socially leftist. How old are you? Haven't you witnessed the social and political deterioration of Calif. over the past 15-20 years? That's the perspective I'm coming from. This state, on the whole, is not the place I grew up in.