Blue tide, red roots

California is often viewed as a bastion of liberal politics and Democratic power. And it’s true that our state government is dominated by Democrats, and that California has lately served as a political counterweight to the brand of conservatism wielded by the Trump Administration. But it wasn’t always this way. Zócalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews says modern California was created and cultivated by Republicans. He finds it odd that the GOP is now attacking the very institutions, governing structures and political values their forebears once espoused.