The author as an economist should know better then to try and peddle this false narrative about the state of California. Auditor's have determined that the Golden State is 127 billion dollars in the red. That is billion with a b. They have also concluded that this debt is unsustainable & raising taxes is not an option as Californians suffer some of the highest tax burdens in the country already
.https://sentinelblog.com/2016/03/20/california-in-the-red-by-127-2-billion-state-auditors-say/