I've lived in CA my whole life -- and in all parts of the state. It's a nice place to live if you can get into an affordable community and avoid all the fake people. It's a beautiful state that has everything: beaches, beautiful women, the ultimate car culture, high mountains with year-round snow, desert, and plenty of open spaces to get away from everything if you know where to go. Any coastal area is going to be too expensive for most people, and that's where all the lame people are anyway. Many inland areas still offer the chance to own a good chunk of land at a decent price, and you'll still be only 2-3 hours from a great beach. We're going through a lot of political turmoil now, but what else is new? California still sets the pace for the nation in many ways, so if you want to be where things are happening, this is it.
All that said, don't get dreamy-eyed. It's not the promised land any more, if it ever was. The state has a lot of problems and has gotten much more crowded. If you move here, you definitely gotta be open-minded and a problem-solver! I've traveled a lot and have seen many nice places to live. If the right opportunity came up, I would leave. Even so, I'm happy where I am. One nice thing about the state is that people of all kinds manage to get along, and most people are friendly.