By Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register

It’s apparently not just the fine weather that makes Californians smile.

California’s consumers are the most optimistic among eight large U.S. states, according to the widely watched Consumer Confidence Index. My trusty spreadsheet tells me it’s the first time the Golden State has been the confidence king in nine years.

An intriguing slice of the Conference Board’s monthly index is a benchmark of shopper psyche for eight big states. The confidence index is compiled from ongoing consumer surveys and offers a regular peek into the financial thinking of American households.

The latest index results put California confidence at 100.7 for April, up from 99.9 in March but down from 106.4 a year ago. Any of those scores look good when you note that California confidence index has averaged 71 since 2007, when the eight-state breakout began.

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