I am a resident in San Fransisco and I am a resident in Phoenix and I can tell you, Northern California has the best pot in the world. Better than the Amsterdam stuff by a little and better genetics than any others I have ever seen. Last time I was in Nor. Cal I got ahold of some Purple Urkle, Jack Herer, Headband and some GREAT outdoor stuff you cannot find ANYWHERE else. Northern California has perhaps the best/largest outdoor climate for growing, and for generations now cannabis has been cultivated to thrive there. For that reason alone I have to disagree with the statement that "most Cali bud is hydro grown for commercial". Hell, I bet Cali grows more weight of high potency outdoor bud than the rest of the US combined.
Can Californians be a little full of themselves? Sure, but they have the herb to back it up.
Also, most of the "chronic" sold in the US is from California. So it almost doesn't matter where you live nowadays if you have a good connection. We all know that shit is making it out east every day. I have a connection (not in Cali) where I can browse between multiple strains of California's best. Lat time I got some GDP and some Blue Dream before that.