How did the Compromise of 1850 appease Southerners while still allowing California to be a free state?

The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to enter the Union as a free state, which appealed to Northern interests, but it also included provisions that catered to Southerners. It enacted a stricter Fugitive Slave Act, requiring the return of escaped slaves and penalizing those who assisted them, thereby addressing Southern concerns over the protection of their property rights. Additionally, the compromise left the status of slavery in the remaining territories from the Mexican-American War to popular sovereignty, allowing residents to decide whether to permit slavery, which further appeased Southern interests.