A few things about summertime in California have become utterly predictable: cineplex superheroes, beach crowds and a record-setting state budget.
Two years ago, we told you the state’s budget hit $180 billion — and with that money you could buy the Los Angeles Lakers 60 times over. Last summer, the state budget set a new high at $201 billion — enough to purchase 32 NFL teams, twice.
The latest budget clocks in at an unprecedented $215 billion. Imagining what could be bought with all that greenery? CALmatters tell you that and much more in their annual video breakdown of the budget in under two minutes:
And if you want a deeper dive, CALmatters has you covered:
- Judy Lin provides a detailed overview of the new budget
- Laurel Rosenhall analyzes what the negotiations reveal about power shifts in the Capitol
- Matt Levin and Barbara Harvey offer insights into the deal over housing funds
- Jackie Botts examines the expansion of the tax credit for the working poor
- And Rachel Becker looks at the questions over the deal to use cap and trade money for water cleanup
CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.