In much of California, it's not the electric energy costs that are high, it's the delivery/grid fees. Not that it matters as far as the electricity bill goes, but it's worth noting.
On my recent bill I paid 16¢/kWh for on-peak electric generation and 49¢/kWh for electric delivery. (There's a small baseline credit for delivery so it's a little more complicated, but you get the idea.)
So if someone tries to tell you electricity is expensive because CA is a hippie state with lots of solar, I would be a little skeptical.