The ballot initiatives may have exacerbated the problem in CA but they did not cause it. Cailfornia's tax base is very narrow. Same with NYC and this trend is also evident in the Federal tax code. Anytime you have a narrow tax base, your at risk for huge swings in revenue. So in the good times the money rolls in and then in a downturn, revenues shrink more than the economy as a whole. Its a lot easier to raise spending when your flush with cash than it is to cut spending when times are tough. The CA legislature needs to learn how to say "NO" to spending. This isnt my theory. Its been written about extensively.

