No. Using across-the-board cuts you’ll never get there — firing 5% of the workforce only saves $1.5 billion per year. You MUST eliminate, in their entirety, some programs. Examples:
1) Zero funding to illegals for health care, welfare, food, etc. That saves about $15-20B per year.
2) Cut useless feel-good environmental programs — the state employees, the $$ to contractors, sell the state buildings. Saves billions per year.
3) Allow drilling for oil offshore in California. The revenue from the sales will be many tens of billions per year. Sell bonds immediately based on future income to cover the current deficit.
4) Overrule environmental laws and allow construction of oil refineries, water desalination, highways, and other plants. Property tax revenue and economic boost improves budget by billions.
THAT’s how you balance the budget in California.
I agree... and I am an opponent of them for solving budget problems. But I also think that the whole place is bloated and that across the board would just take a little cushion out of all the arrogant SOBs that that have no clue as to how the rest of the state lives. So... 5% right off that bat.
Then... start eliminating programs... lots of them!
You have a good list of suggestions there. But like I said, I think they've heard them before. They just don't have the will to do it.
My solution: Throw all the bums out! (that would be the elected officials and legislators... and a few judges to boot)