I would like to understand whether there are any states that even occasionally backs the employer in non-competes for the general layperson. In my experience, courts tend to side with someone who's willing to work over employers.

This is why non-competes are a joke in the US. Courts aren't going to enforce them. Almost every state has an industry where moving between companies, or starting companies to compete with existing companies, exist (midwest auto industry, New York financial industry, Texas energy, etc).

It's great that California is so explicit. I wish other states would follow suit. But the only times I've ever seen a court uphold a non-compete is for highly (8 figures) compensated employees.