You realize this argument only ADDS support for a fourth California team, right?
California is one of the richest places in the world, with most of the wealth concentrated in the cities along the coast. The state has
700,000+ millionaire households. In fact, CA is home to nearly 10% of the world's millionaires. Canada has almost as many people as California, but only has
160,000 millionaire households.
San Diego alone has over 100,000 millionaires. It's not unreasonable at all to think the NHL would work there. For a household making $200k+ per year (this is not uncommon), forking over $200 for a pair of tickets to a hockey game just isn't a big deal like it would be in, say, Winnipeg. Even in Toronto, which is my hometown and one of the most wealthy cities in Canada, typical household income is nowhere close to what it is here.
That said, I definitely think a 2nd Toronto area team (Hamilton or elsewhere) is a much stronger business proposition at the moment, one team isn't anywhere close to adequate for a region of 8 million people where hockey is #1 by far and the populace has such an incredible passion for the game. But a 4th California team isn't a bad idea. I'd say it's about as viable as Winnipeg or Quebec City.
Fans in California aren't shelling out "hard earned money" to go to hockey games. They're shelling out pocket change.