California Budget Woes Compounded by Lawyers

California has too many law schools producing too many lawyers and now we're all paying the price:

Lawyers are being drafted in droves to unravel spending plans passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor. The goal of these litigators is to get back money their clients lost in the budget process. They are havingconsiderable success, winning one lawsuit after another, costing the state billions of dollars and throwing California's budget process into further tumult.

In the last few months alone, the courts added more than a billion dollars to the state's deficit by declaring illegal reductions in healthcare services, redevelopment agency funds and transportation spending. Another ruling threatens to deprive California of all its federal stimulus money if the state does not rescind a cut to the salaries of home healthcare workers. ...

It is hardly a secret in the Capitol that lawmakers sometimes approve budget measures despite their dubious legality because it buys them time. The hope is that by the time the appeals process is finally exhausted -- which can take years -- the economy will have rebounded, filling the gap with new revenue. It's a kind of borrowing.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the California political system is hopelessly dysfunctional. Ideally, we'd call a constitutional convention and start over with a blank slate. After all, it's hard to imagine that any system such a convention might suggest would be worse than the current mess.

Comments

[Max Lybbert]

If the lawyers are having considerable success, it implies they have a strong case, doesn't it?

There are several problems with the California budget process, including the fact that so much of the overspending is mandated by propositions and can't be reduced. Additionally, Schwarzenegger hasn't really exercised the line item veto. And, of course, the state legislature is in the running for most clueless and least effective government body in the nation.

I'll blame the lawyers any other day of the week, but in this case the fault lies with the state government.

[Richard S.]

Would making the California bar exam more difficult be a good way to reduce the number of lawyers in the state?

[tyree]

Tort reform has been needed for a long time just to give the medical profession some relief. It is apparent that all aspects of daily life would profit from making it harder for lawyers to redistribute other peoples money.