The respected libertarian Cato Institute annually releases their list of most free and least free states… and no surprise, the bluest states–California included–are at the bottom of the list. Read more and check out their interactive map here: https://www.freedominthe50states.org/
From the report: The overall freedom ranking is a combination of personal and economic freedoms.
ANALYSIS
California is one of the least free states in the country, largely because of its long-standing poor performance on economic freedom. However, California’s economic freedom has improved since the late 2000s and, perhaps as a result, so has its economic performance. California has long suffered from a wide disparity between its economic freedom and personal freedom ranking, but it is not as if the state is a top performer in the latter dimension. Indeed, it is quite mediocre on personal freedom, although its recent decline in rank has more to do with other states catching up and passing it than any backsliding in the state itself.