California: the Once-Golden State

From the blog, Maggie's Farm:

ANY WONDER WHY CALIFORNIA IS GOING BROKE?

[Check out this list of state agencies...]

California Academic Performance Index (API) California Access for Infants and Mothers California Acupuncture Board California Administrative Office of the Courts California Adoptions Branch California African American Museum California Agricultural Export Program California Agricultural Labor Relations Board California Agricultural Statistics Service California Air Resources Board (CARB) California Allocation Board California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing AuthorityCalifornia Animal Health and Food Safety Services California Anti-Terrorism Information Center California Apprenticeship Council California Arbitration Certification Program California Architects Board California Area VI Developmental Disabilities Board California Arts Council California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus California Assembly Democratic CaucusCalifornia Assembly Republican Caucus California Athletic Commission * California Attorney General

Those are just the As. The rest are below...

California Bay Conservation and Development Commission California Bay-Delta Authority California Bay-Delta OfficeCalifornia Biodiversity Council California Board for Geologists and Geophysicists California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors California Board of Accountancy California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology California Board of Behavioral Sciences California Board of Chiropractic Examiners California Board of Equalization (BOE) California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection California Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind California Board of Occupational Therapy California Board of Optometry California Board of Pharmacy California Board of Podiatric Medicine California Board of Prison Terms California Board of Psychology California Board of Registered Nursing California Board of Trustees California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians California Braille and Talking Book Library California Building Standards Commission California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education California Bureau of Automotive Repair California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation California Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services California Bureau of State Audits California Business Agency California Business Investment Services (CalBIS) California Business Permit Information (CalGOLD)California Business Portal California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency California Cal Grants California CalJOBSCalifornia Cal-Learn Program California CalVet Home Loan Program California Career Resource Network California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau California Center for Analytical Chemistry California Center for Distributed Learning California Center for Teaching Careers (Teach California) California Chancellors Office California Charter Schools California Children and Families Commission California Children and Family Services Division California Citizens Compensation Commission California Civil Rights Bureau California Coastal Commission California Coastal Conservancy California Code of Regulations California Collaborative Projects with UC Davis California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth California Commission on AgingCalifornia Commission on Health and Safety and Workers Compensation California Commission on Judicial PerformanceCalifornia Commission on State Mandates California Commission on Status of Women California Commission on Teacher Credentialing California Commission on the Status of Women California Committee on Dental Auxiliaries California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, Junior Colleges California Community Colleges Chancellors Office California Complaint Mediation Program California Conservation Corps California Constitution Revision Commission California Consumer Hotline California Consumer Information Center California Consumer Information California Consumer Services Division California Consumers and Families Agency California Contractors State License Board California Corrections Standards Authority California Council for the Humanities California Council on Criminal Justice California Council on Developmental Disabilities California Court Reporters Board California Courts of Appeal California Crime and Violence Prevention Center California Criminal Justice Statistics Center California Criminalist Institute Forensic Library California CSGnet Network Management California Cultural and Historical Endowment California Cultural Resources Division California Curriculum and Instructional Leadership BranchCalifornia Data Exchange Center California Data Management Division California Debt and Investment Advisory CommissionCalifornia Delta Protection Commission California Democratic Caucus California Demographic Research Unit California Dental Auxiliaries California Department of Aging California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control California Department of Boating and Waterways (Cal Boating) California Department of Child Support Services (CDCSS) California Department of Community Services and Development California Department of Conservation California Department of Consumer AffairsCalifornia Department of Corporations California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation California Department of Developmental Services California Department of Education California Department of Fair Employment and HousingCalifornia Department of Finance California Department of Financial Institutions California Department of Fish and GameCalifornia Department of Food and Agriculture California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) California Department of General Services California Department of General Services, Office of State Publishing California Department of Health Care Services California Department of Housing and Community Development California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) California Department of Insurance California Department of Justice Firearms Division California Department of Justice Opinion Unit California Department of Justice, Consumer Information, Public Inquiry Unit California Department of Justice California Department of Managed Health Care California Department of Mental Health California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) California Department of Personnel Administration California Department of Pesticide RegulationCalifornia Department of Public Health California Department of Real Estate California Department of Rehabilitation California Department of Social Services Adoptions Branch California Department of Social Services California Department of Technology Services Training Center (DTSTC) California Department of Technology Services (DTS) California Department of Toxic Substances Control California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVets) California Department of Water Resources California Departmento de Vehiculos Motorizados California Digital Library California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program California Division of Apprenticeship StandardsCalifornia Division of Codes and Standards California Division of Communicable Disease Control California Division of Engineering California Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control California Division of Gambling ControlCalifornia Division of Housing Policy Development California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement California Division of Labor Statistics and Research California Division of Land and Right of Way California Division of Land Resource ProtectionCalifornia Division of Law Enforcement General Library California Division of Measurement Standards California Division of Mines and Geology California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources California Division of Planning and Local Assistance California Division of Recycling California Division of Safety of Dams California Division of the State Architect California Division of Tourism California Division of Workers Compensation Medical Unit California Division of Workers Compensation California Economic Assistance, Business and Community Resources California Economic Strategy Panel California Education and Training Agency California Education Audit Appeals Panel California Educational Facilities Authority California Elections Division California Electricity Oversight BoardCalifornia Emergency Management Agency California Emergency Medical Services Authority California Employment Development Department (EDD) California Employment Information State Jobs California Employment Training PanelCalifornia Energy Commission California Environment and Natural Resources Agency California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES) California Executive Office California Export Laboratory Services California Exposition and State Fair (Cal Expo) California Fair Political Practices Commission California Fairs and Expositions Division California Film Commission California Fire and Resource Assessment Program California Firearms Division California Fiscal Services California Fish and Game Commission California Fisheries Program BranchCalifornia Floodplain Management California Foster Youth Help California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) California Fraud DivisionCalifornia Gambling Control Commission California Geographic Information Systems Council (GIS) California Geological SurveyCalifornia Government Claims and Victim Compensation Board California Governors Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons California Governors Mentoring Partnership California Governors Office of Emergency Services California Governors Office of Homeland Security California Governors Office of Planning and Research California Governors Office California Grant and Enterprise Zone Programs HCD Loan California Health and Human Services Agency California Health and Safety AgencyCalifornia Healthy Families Program California Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau California High-Speed Rail Authority California Highway Patrol (CHP) California History and Culture Agency California Horse Racing Board California Housing Finance AgencyCalifornia Indoor Air Quality Program California Industrial Development Financing Advisory Commission California Industrial Welfare Commission California InFoPeople California Information Center for the Environment California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank) California Inspection Services California Institute for County Government California Institute for Education Reform California Integrated Waste Management Board California Interagency Ecological ProgramCalifornia Job Service California Junta Estatal de Personal California Labor and Employment Agency California Labor and Workforce Development Agency California Labor Market Information Division California Land Use Planning Information Network (LUPIN) California Lands Commission California Landscape Architects Technical Committee California Latino Legislative CaucusCalifornia Law Enforcement Branch California Law Enforcement General Library California Law Revision Commission California Legislative Analyst's Office California Legislative Black Caucus California Legislative Counsel California Legislative DivisionCalifornia Legislative Information California Legislative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus California Legislature Internet Caucus California Library De velopment Services California License and Revenue Branch California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board California Maritime Academy California Marketing Services California Measurement Standards California Medical Assistance Commission California Medical Care Services California Military Department California Mining and Geology Board California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts California Museum Resource Center California National Guard California Native American Heritage Commission California Natural Community Conservation Planning Program California New Motor Vehicle Board California Nursing Home Administrator Program California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board California Ocean Resources Management Program California Office of Administrative Hearings California Office of Administrative Law California Office of AIDS California Office of Binational Border Health California Office of Child Abuse Prevention California Office of Deaf Access California Office of Emergency Services (OES) California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment California Office of Fiscal Services California Office of Fleet Administration California Office of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Implementation (CalOHI) California Office of Historic Preservation California Office of Homeland Security California Office of Human Resources California Office of Legal ServicesCalifornia Office of Legislation California Office of Lieutenant Governor California Office of Military and Aerospace SupportCalifornia Office of Mine Reclamation California Office of Natural Resource Education California Office of Privacy ProtectionCalifornia Office of Public School Construction California Office of Real Estate Appraisers California Office of Risk and Insurance Management California Office of Services to the Blind California Office of Spill Prevention and Response California Office of State Publishing (OSP) California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development California Office of Systems Integration California Office of the Inspector General California Office of the Ombudsman California Office of the Patient Advocate California Office of the President California Office of the Secretary for Education California Office of the State Fire Marshal California Office of the State Public Defender California Office of Traffic Safety California Office of Vital RecordsCalifornia Online Directory California Operations Control Office California Opinion Unit California Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN) California Park and Recreation Commission California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)California Performance Review (CPR) California Permit Information for Business (CalGOLD) California Physical Therapy Board California Physician Assistant Committee California Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services California Policy and Evaluation Division California Political Reform Division California Pollution Control Financing Authority California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California Postsecondary Education Commission California Prevention Services California Primary Care and Family Health California Prison Industry Authority California Procurement Division California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) California Real Estate Services Division California Refugee Programs Branch California Regional Water Quality Control Boards California Registered Veterinary Technician Committee California Registrar of Charitable TrustsCalifornia Republican Caucus California Research and Development Division California Research Bureau California Resources Agency California Respiratory Care Board California Rivers Assessment California Rural Health Policy Council California Safe Schools California San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission California San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy California San Joaquin River Conservancy California School to Career California Science Center California Scripps Institution of Oceanography California Secretary of State Business Portal California Secretary of State California Seismic Safety Commission California Self Insurance Plans (SIP) California Senate Office of Research California Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program California Small Business Development Center Program California Smart Growth Caucus California Smog Check Information Center California Spatial Information Library California Special Education Division California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) California Standards and Assessment Division California State Administrative Manual (SAM) California State Allocation Board California State and Consumer Services Agency California State ArchitectCalifornia State Archives California State Assembly California State Association of Counties (CSAC) California State Board of Education * California State Board of Food and Agriculture California Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) California State Children's Trust Fund California State Compensation Insurance Fund California State Contracts Register ProgramCalifornia State Contracts Register California State Controller California State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD)California State Disability Insurance (SDI) California State Fair (Cal Expo) California State Jobs Employment InformationCalifornia State Lands Commission California State Legislative Portal California State Legislature California State Library Catalog California State Library Services Bureau California State Library California State Lottery California State Mediation and Conciliation Service California State Mining and Geology Board California State Park and Recreation Commission California State Parks California State Personnel Board California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Railroad Museum California State Science Fair California State Senate California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) California State Summer School for the Arts California State Superintendent of Public Instruction California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) California State Treasurer California State University Center for Distributed LearningCalifornia State University, Bakersfield California State University, Channel Islands California State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, East Bay California State University, Fresno California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Northridge California State University, Sacramento California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Marcos California State University, Stanislaus California State University (CSU) California State Water Project Analysis Office California State Water Project California State Water Resources Control Board California Structural Pest Control Board California Student Aid Commission California Superintendent of Public Instruction California Superior Courts California Tahoe Conservancy California Task Force on Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists California Tax Information Center California Technology and Administration Branch Finance California Telecommunications Division California Telephone Medical Advice Services (TAMS) California Transportation Commission California Travel and Transportation Agency California Unclaimed Property Program California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board California Unemployment Insurance Program California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Commission California Veterans Board California Veterans Memorial California Veterinary Medical Board and Registered Veterinary Technician Examining Committee California Veterinary Medical Board California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board California Volunteers California Voter Registration California Water Commission California Water Environment Association (COWPEA) California Water Resources Control Board California Welfare to Work Division California Wetlands Information System California Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch California Wildlife Conservation BoardCalifornia Wildlife Programs Branch California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) California Workers Compensation Appeals Board California Workforce and Labor Development Agency California Workforce Investment BoardCalifornia Youth Authority (CYA) Central Valley Flood Protection Board Center for California Studies Colorado River Board of California Counting California Dental Board of California Health Insurance Plan of California (PacAdvantage) Humboldt State University Jobs with the State of California Judicial Council of California Learn California Library of California Lieutenant Governors Commission for One California Little Hoover Commission (on California State Government Organization and Economy) Medical Board of California Medi-Cal Osteopathic Medical Board of California Physical Therapy Board of CaliforniaRegents of the University of California San Diego State University San Francisco State University San Jose State UniversitySanta Monica Mountains Conservancy State Bar of California Supreme Court of California Teach California University of California University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Hastings College of the LawUniversity of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, San Francisco University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa Cruz * Veterans Home of California...

Whew...

Whitman vs. Brown: Debate No. 1...

Tonight's early scorecard from the Whitman vs. Brown gubernatorial debate...

Overall, I score Meg the winner.

Neither one scored a decisive blow/knockout...tough for either to maximize their answers - or their opponent's - in the campaign.

Brown was much more energetic (someone cut off that guy's coffee intake, please) and Whitman came out of the box sounding like she was over-rehearsed.

There were 10 questions plus a closing statement (1 hr.)...

Round by round scoring, courtesy of this ringside judge...

1 - Budget: Brown
2 - Death penalty/crime: Whitman
3 - Jobs: Whitman
4- Public employee pensions/unions: Whitman
5- Experience: SPLIT
6 - Holding the line on cuts/funding for higher education: SPLIT
7- Campaign ads (misleading?): SPLIT
8- Immigration: BROWN
9 - Campaign funding (self vs. special interests): Whitman
10- Water: Whitman
CLOSING: Whitman

My scorecard: Whitman 4, plus closing; Brown 2; SPLIT 4.

The event, held at UC Davis (not far from Sacramento), was staffed by Sacto area media. The questioning was pretty predictable and weak. At least one question was a direct jab at Whitman.

Both had funny lines. Brown, taken to task by Whitman for his own stake in the state's pension system, said that his longevity (which precludes him tapping into it until he "retires") was a plus...joking that he's "best pension buy California's ever had" since if he wins, he won't collect till 76..or even into his 80s. Whitman's most memorable line: "Putting Brown in charge of pension reform like letting Dracula run blood bank."

Two more debates to go...

The state we're in...

Greetings from California…or what’s left of it…

More good news from the Golden State: unemployment has now topped 20 percent in at least eight counties.

Greece hits the skids. Could this be what’s ahead for California?

What pushed the Golden State into the state it’s in? The reasons are myriad, but here’s one: its vaunted higher education system.

The other “beach state” – Florida is being hit by a 35-year high in unemployment: 11.9 percent. California’s is still in excess of 12 percent.

Who will lead us out of this mess? Who will sacrifice so that the state regains its once-enviable position in the world? Probably not its special interest constituencies. To get an idea who is pulling the strings, it's important to know who is pulling the strings in Sacramento. So who are California’s biggest political spenders? According to the Los Angeles Times, the teachers union is tops:
“Five special interests were responsible for more than half of the billion dollars spent since 2000, including:
--The California Teachers Assoc., which spent $211.8 million.
--The California State Council of Service Employees, $107.4 million.
--The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, $104.9 million.
--The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, which operates a casino under a state-approved compact, $83.6 million.
--The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, which also operates a casino, $69.2 million. PG&E, Chevron, AT&T, Philip Morris USA and Southern California Edison are also among the top 15 spenders.“

Too little, too late?

California – the big train(wreck) that could…go over a cliff.



Right now, the once-Golden State is on the precipice of an unimaginable economic disaster.
The state’s unemployment rate continues to run beyond 12 percent. Mortgage foreclosures are still climbing. Businesses – big and small – continue to leave for (tax) friendlier pastures. What’s more, the state’s unfunded liabilities (pensions/benefits/retirement plans) loom like gigantic, ship-killing icebergs on that foggy horizon that is the future.

As you read this, the state’s budget deficit is running somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 billion. The legislature should be making the tough decisions right now – not waiting until state law calls for a final budget no later than June. If the folks in Sacramento wait until then, it will be far too late.

The White House has thrown the state a bone – a bone that’s more than $1 billion large. Unfortunately (and you don’t have to be a Caltech math whiz to get this), that leaves a gap of…counting…counting…$19 billion.

Yes, it’s nice that the Feds recognize we’re hurting here in this Big Blue State – the one that went solidly for Democrats last election. According to the Los Angeles Times, of the “$25 billion in additional Medicaid funds for states, California is projected to receive $1.5 billion. States received a funding boost in the economic stimulus bill that Congress passed one year ago. [President Barack] Obama's budget plan would extend the funding through mid-2011. The proposal also includes $330 million to help states pay for jailing illegal immigrants. The money has long been a priority for California officials, who argue that local and state taxpayers should not have to bear the burden of Washington's failure to control America's borders. California's expected $90-million share would represent a fraction of the nearly $1 billion the state probably will spend this year on incarcerating illegal immigrants.”

So there you go. Not only will the money cover less than 10 percent of the state’s money gap, it also won’t make a big enough dent in the annual costs incurred by the state to pay for what should rightfully be a burden carried – or at least shared – by the Feds: the incarceration of illegal aliens convicted of crimes here in the United States.

California is running out of time. And whatever hope is out there for any kind of recovery is sure to be tempered by the realization that even bigger “challenges” lie ahead. For those Americans outside of California’s borders, this isn’t just the Golden State’s problem – it’s everyone’s. With a nation-leading economy that makes it among the 10 largest in the world, what happens in California impacts the rest of the nation…the rest of the world.

The old saying goes: “When California sneezes, the rest of the country catches a cold.” Well, California’s doing more than sneezing, folks…I hope you have a good health plan.

Another day, another protest...

Welcome to San Francisco!

More than 200 homeless people from throughout the city and their advocates (some bused in from Oregon, Sacramento and the East Bay), kicked off a protest in San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza this morning with calls for better - and more accessible - housing for homeless throughout the nation.


Mr. Flav...


At the barricades, megaphone turned to "11"...

The protest, which was an interesting mix of Berkeley-based activists (a few wearing Tiffany signature jewelry) and some of the city's most destitute citizens, was noisy but non-violent. Speakers worked the lunch time crowd - the rally lasted approximately two hours - with chants, speeches and songs. Protestors carried placards in English as well as Spanish, and an impromptu "field kitchen" that provided free Mexican-style food attracted numerous attendees.


Capt. Amerikka and his slogan-emblazoned flag - "hate it or leave it!"...


The protest's "field kitchen" provided free food to all at the event...

Speakers called for money to be diverted from defense ("Stop Funding War!!") and other budgets to causes supporting the poor. "Housing is a human right!" was shouted at regular intervals, and one yell leader got the crowd to repeat his chants of, "Free health care! Free housing! Free everything!"


The crowd in Justin Herman Plaza...

The protest drew a significant number of marchers carrying signs demanding housing written in English and Spanish, which protesters said recognized the growing number of Latino homeless.

Blog bonus - "Saving for a rainy day"

My latest op-ed over at CalCoastNews.com -

Saving for a rainy day
December 23, 2009 12:30 pm
BY JEFF BLISS

"We have become 99 percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is due to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts." – George Washington Carver

The kind of common fiscal sense Mr. Carver talked about seems increasingly harder to come by these days. Not just in everyday life, but even more so in places of power – like Sacramento. In short, that kind of common sense has, unfortunately, become commonly uncommon.

Once the envy of the rest of our nation, California has turned into a punch line. Sure, in Copenhagen last week Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger boasted of California having the eighth largest economy – in the world – but each new economic report or forecast suggests the state’s economy is sliding backward.

This didn’t happen overnight. Several decades ago, Sacramento became an important center of power when the legislature and its staffs went full-time, essentially turning pro. Many believed the state government’s evolution was late in coming and that an increasingly important economy like California’s needed real oversight and control. Others, however, mark the changeover as the beginning of the end. As the years passed and the state’s coffers swelled, the legislature came to be regarded as beneficent rulers doling out seemingly endless supplies of cash and favors.

But the times they have a changed.

Take a look at just about any in-state poll and you’ll find there is almost uniform disdain for the Capitol Building’s denizens. While partisan bickering is responsible for a great deal of the gridlock and resulting voter anger, there also is a sense among the populace that California’s elected officials have let them down – in a very big way. In a story that echoes the fate of many of the prospectors who came searching for “gold in them thar hills,” found it and then lost fortunes to wine/women/song, the Golden State’s leaders are increasingly viewed as having squandered a literal trove of treasure in just a short time, taking us from boom to bust.

So as California slips deeper into debt, cuts more programs and is forced to limit available public resources, the citizenry is scratching its collective head and wondering, Why didn’t the smart guys plan for this mess? Where’s the contingency plan? Where are the “rainy day” funds?
I’ll tell you what happened: the smart guys were too busy spending rainy day money to come up with a contingency plan. I know, I witnessed it first-hand – a number of times.

Just one example of this occurred not long ago during the Boom Years when I was working for the state. Several times each year, we would make our holy pilgrimages to Sacramento with our requests for funding and budget support. One year in particular, a group of colleagues and I were in a well-known legislator’s office explaining Our Great Need.

During our spokesperson’s “ask,” the lawmaker began to yawn. “Oh, sorry about that,” he said. “We were up very late last night, working.” I thought that was admirable and asked, “Were you working on some last-minute budget items?” He just laughed at me. Then he said, “No, no…we were trying to figure out where to spend all the money.” (There was about a $5 billion surplus in the treasury at that time.) I thought for a minute and replied, “Wait – you were working hard to spend the surplus? How much did the legislature put aside in a rainy day fund?” He just looked at me for a moment and then he laughed again. “Rainy day? Are you kidding me? We’ve got so much money that we’re having a hard time finding places to spend it all – and it’s going to keep coming.”

Look, I’m no economics expert but I took my parents’ advice back when they handed me my first piggy bank and admonished me put some aside for lean times. Seriously – who hasn’t heard that? Even if the last econ class you had was in high school, hardly a day goes by without hearing a news reporter or finance expert talk about the up-and-down nature of economics (i.e.: cycles). How could a group of people who hold sway over our tax revenues, many of whom are well-schooled in finance/economics and have whole agencies devoted to keeping an eye on our dough, not have thought the pendulum would eventually swing back the other way?

Admittedly, even the most frugal states are having a tough time dealing with the national/global economic recession. The national job loss rate exceeds an average of 10 percent; home foreclosure figures continue to hover in/near double digits; and only a few businesses show long-term prospects for a full recovery. But California – the wealthiest, most diverse and politically powerful state in the union – has been hobbled beyond imagination by the downturn: we have some of the highest unemployment, underemployment and home/mortgage foreclosure rates in the United States.

Would a rainy day fund and a contingency plan have helped the state dodge a bullet? Probably not. The damage from the recession, however, the short- and long-term impacts might have been significantly mitigated if the pols in Sacramento had not turned into drunken sailors on shore leave with billions of our dollars at their disposal.

It’s not like California is without any history when it comes to fiscal sanity. Former Gov. George “Duke” Deukmejian (R) picked up his nickname “the Iron Duke” in part due to his conservative fiscal policies in the 1980s, much maligned by Democrats, which included setting aside a $1 billion “prudent reserve” in a state budget that was much smaller than it is today. By the time he handed the reigns over to fellow Republican Pete Wilson in the 1990s, an economic downturn burned through most of the reserve, leaving Wilson to cobble together a combination of budget cuts and tax increases to balance the budget. A string of natural disasters during Wilson’s term also was a drain on state resources. Nevertheless, Wilson did hammer out a compromise with the Democrat-dominated Legislature. Wilson, a former legislator (as was Deukmejian), understood the mechanics of legislative comity and created the famed “Gang of Five” meetings with the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly to get consensus on the difficult budget choices. It’s hard to imagine that type of “get things done” attitude in today’s polarized Legislature dominated by termed-out ideologues not the least bit interested in a quaint term like “compromise.”

Because of these ongoing budget impasses, the deepening debt and a host of other problems connected to the legislature’s shortcomings, there is growing movement in California to convene a constitutional convention that organizers hope will give the state a bit of a restart. As part of that effort, some hope a new attitude toward spending will emerge. What would help California even more would be a new attitude toward saving.

Jeff Bliss is a communications consultant and political analyst based in the Bay Area.