When California politicians ignore policy risks, failure and scandal often result

California’s governors and legislators have a very bad habit of enacting major programs and projects without fully exploring their downside risks.

The most spectacular example occurred in 1996, when a Republican governor, Pete Wilson, and a Democrat-controlled Legislature decided to overhaul California’s electric power industry.

The legislation was hammered out in lengthy and secret negotiations that participants dubbed the “Steve Peace death march” for the state senator who ramrodded the effort.