Dan Walters: California Legislature’s budget proposal digs an even deeper hole

During his annual report on the state’s finances last fall, legislative budget analyst Gabe Petek warned that budget spending was increasing by about 6% a year while revenues were growing by just 4%.

“Taken together, we view it as unlikely that revenue growth will be fast enough to catch up to ongoing spending,” Petek said, adding “in the coming years, legislative action could be necessary to close this gap.”

Petek’s admonition is falling on deaf ears.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s...