BY Dan Walters
CalMatters Opinion Columnist
This story is part of California Voices, a commentary forum aiming to broaden our understanding of the state and spotlight Californians directly impacted by policy or its absence. Learn more here.
When Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a 2024-25 state budget in January, he declared that the state faced a $38 billion deficit and chided journalists for citing wider projections in the gap between income and outgo from the Legislature’s budget analyst.
