It is noted, and worth noting further that the state had a performance review conducted in 2004 that identified over 275 ways the state could save money.  Care to guess how many were implemented?  Almost none.  State leaders have to got to use some commonsense at all times – not just during times of crisis.  Could those 275 plus solutions bridged the $28 billion gap in California’s budget?  No.  Would the gap be a whole heckuva lot less?  You betcha.  You can’t blame the economy for all of this mess – some accountability does rest at the feed of policy makers who dropped the ball out in California.  From the LA Times:

Reporting from Sacramento, Jordan Rau and Patrick Mcgreevy — In the 1970s, hardened felons tried to deter juvenile delinquents from lives of crime through “Scared Straight” presentations in which they portrayed prison life in all its brutal unpleasantness.

On Monday, California’s top fiscal officers attempted to deliver a similar jolt to state legislators who have yet to address a $28-billion projected budget gap.

In a rare joint session of the Assembly and state Senate, the treasurer and controller, along with the senior fiscal advisors to the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration, depicted the dismal consequences of a continued budget impasse between legislative Democrats and Republicans.

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