CHUCK DEVORE: California’s crazy one-party liberal politics is why I had to finally leave the state — and I’m not alone.

That home prices and rents in California average 55 percent higher than in Texas isn’t just due to the former’s good weather—the Golden State’s high taxes, capricious regulations, onerous lawsuit climate, and powerful unions all contribute to constraining the supply of new housing while jacking up the price of existing housing.

California’s high housing costs drive America’s highest Supplemental Poverty rate—a dubious distinction held by the progressive bastion since the new, more comprehensive measure was introduced by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2009. In fact, not only are there proportionately 39 percent more people living in poverty in California than in Texas (20.4 percent to 14.7 percent), but, the plight of the poor comes into greater relief when comparing like demographic groups in the two most-populous states, both of which feature majority-minority populations.

This table compares the Supplemental Poverty rates of the four largest racial and national origin groups from children to working (0 to 64) in California, Texas and the U.S. averaged from 2014 to 2015. In every case, Texas’ poverty rate is below both California’s and the national average whereas in California, only that state’s rapidly growing Asian population enjoys a lower poverty rate than the U.S. average. So much for California as a liberal utopia.

I hate to have to correct Mr. DeVore, but that is a liberal utopia.