Skip to main content

A Brief Lesson In Why California is Economically Dysfunctional

State budget woes grow deeper as rosy projections come up short

Washington hasn't come to the rescue. Hopes for a tax windfall were dashed last month.

As the reality of a $20 billion deficit sets in, California leaders are bracing for another summer of difficult state budget talks.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will kick off serious budget discussions Friday with his May budget revision.

(Emphasis mine.)

The California state budget process looks something like this:

  • By January 10 of every year, the Governor presents his state budget to the Legislature (California Constitution Article 4 Section 12(a)).
  • The Legislature hashes at it.
  • By mid-May, the Governor submits his May revise, the “revise” taking into account changes in the economy, shifting spending priorities, etc.
  • The Legislature resumes chewing.
  • The Legislature must pass the budget bill by June 15 (California Constitution Article 4 Section 12(c)(3)).
  • El Guv has certain line item veto authority, but in general he either approves or rejects. Generally, they sign.
  • The budget goes into effect July 1.

All of that is in the state constitution. This timeline is a mystery to no one.

Except the state Legislature and the Sacramento Bee, that is.

The May revise isn’t supposed to “kick off” serious discussions, it’s supposed to be part of the on-going discussions. “Serious discussions” aren’t supposed to begin in the summer, they should have been going on all spring. Summer is when the budget goes into effect.

Instead, the Governor is telling the Governor of Arizona how to run her state, while the California Legislature is handling vital issues, like deciding who to name a highway after. Starting tomorrow, they may opt to start doing the job they should have started on January 11.

And this is why the California budget is a cesspool.

Here endeth the lesson.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I (Briefly) Try a Mac

 I Bought a Mac. My first computer was an Atari 800, fully loaded with 48k of RAM. And I mean the original, beige model, not its low-slung, fancy successor. My friend went for an Apple IIe, which cost a relative fortune. Eventually, I’d step up to an Atari 1040ST, while he’d get a IIgs. And even more eventually, we both ended up with IBM PC compatibles. MSDOS was my friend, Unix an ally. It was with great reluctance that I transition from a command-line interface (CLI) to a Graphic User Interface (GUI), always on a PC platform and never a Mac. I never bought into the hype and never experienced all the horrid things that allegedly befell anyone using a PC. For me, they just worked. Yet here I am, these many decades later, typing this on a brand-new MacBook Air M4. How things change... Initially, there was little regret but a mounting list of frustrations. Adjusting to the keyboard isn’t too hard, it’s just a matter of experimentation. Learning how to scale the display wasn’t awful, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dune Part 2 (2024)

I have come not to praise Dune but to bury it. I am in a distinct minority. So be it. To explain why, there will be some minor spoilers ahead; sorry. The short version is #NotMyDune. Summary: Picking up where Dune Part 1 left off, we find the young Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) hanging out with the Fremen. Plots to overthrow rival houses and empires ensue. Go here to see what I thought about Dune Part 1 (2021) . Overall, I found it to be technically brilliant, but lacking a human heart, an exercise in frenetic slow motion. D2 is more of the same, though with far more action. Acting-wise, everyone is doing a fine, more than adequate job. Absolutely no one or nothing stands out. The way the characters are written (adapted, actually), their back and forths and interactions, are all weak and unengaging. I generally hate when they speak. I've read the novel a ridiculous number of times, and these films are prompting me to read it again. I understand that trying to translate the n...
1 comment
Read more

Rogan

The entire Joe Rogan controversy is an example of the kids being left in charge and the adults refusing to teach them any better. I’m not a regular consumer of podcasts. There are a couple I listen to from time to time, but nothing on a regular basis. While I’ve caught a few minutes of the Joe Rogan Experience on YouTube, I’ve never listened to his podcast. One of the primary reasons for that is that you have to subscribe to Spotify to do so, and I prefer Qobuz, Tidal, or even Amazon Music. Rogan is behind Spotify’s paywall and that’s that. But the nature of the fight is about more than who does or does not listen to Rogan. This fight goes to the very nature of the First Amendment and the fundamental concept of the United States. And yes, I understand that cuts both ways. What’s his name and Joni Mitchell are free to yank their creations from Spotify, no ifs, ands, or buts. I’m not denying their right, I’m questioning their reasons. Rogan talks to people. He does so largely unfiltered....
Post a Comment
Read more