Cali is a big place. Your weather goes from sunny to brush fire hazy? Having lived in or near Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, & New Orleans traffic is a mind over matter issue. If you don't mind... it still sucks. I do enjoy living in a smaller metro area where the longest traffic delay is when someone isn't paying attention at a traffic light, so you wait until the next green. I hardly ever hear gun fire. Usually only on Friday or Saturday nights.
Lack of central planning and low density suburbs result in gridlock. America has outgrown in road system in many places.
Houston has had mayors who actively opposed road improvements that would aid traffic flow to the suburbs. They believed it gave people incentive to stay in the city and contribute to the tax base.
Those living in the suburbs weren't Houston voters, so they didn't have much input. Of course we have to pay sales tax in the Houston Metro district that extends across multiple counties, but for some reason all the money seems to get spent in Houston.
It's easy to pass the blame for negativity in the world to someone else, but if I'm being honest, it starts with me.