Every now and then, something happens to cause California’s comfortable establishment to celebrate the state’s economy. Recent budget surpluses and jobs data have provided several opportunities, never mind that these are hardly summary statistics. They don’t tell the complete story.
The celebrants conveniently ignore California’s nation-leading poverty, huge inequality, persistent negative domestic migration, and the fact that with about 12 percent of the nation’s population, California is home to about 30 percent of the nation’s welfare recipients.
A recent Next 10 report, prepared by Beacon Economics, has provided another opportunity for celebration. The Los Angeles Times’ coverage of the report is here. Their reporter, Chris Kirkham, provides a straight-forward summary, including charts not in the original report and quotes from people who might not be expected to be mindless cheerleaders. Full disclosure: He tried to interview me, but I was unavailable.
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