Project Director
Carl DeMaio

Authors
Carl DeMaio
Adrian Moore
Adam Summers
Geoffrey F. Segal
Lisa Snell
Vincent Badolato
George Passantino

For more on the San Diego Citizens' Budget project, click here.

Although 45 states are facing budget shortfalls this fiscal year, the State of California is faced with a deficit in the ballpark of $30 billion — the nation's largest. Politics is getting in the way of progress in California.

The Citizens' Budget is non-partisan — it rejects the assertions made by leaders of both political parties in Sacramento. The Citizens' Budget is an objective, line-by-line analysis of the governor's proposed budget. The methodologies and strategies used by The Performance Institute and Reason Foundation were applied to demonstrate that governments in this kind of situation have more than two choices. It is not merely an issue of raising taxes or slashing budgets across the board.

Should every recommendation made in the Citizens' Budget be implemented, the State of California would actually emerge with a $6.5 billion surplus.

The success of this analysis has demonstrated that the reforms recommended here can be applied to state and local budgets nationwide.

To download the entire 150-page Citizens' Budget in PDF format (2.4 MB), click here.

Letter to Governor Davis and Members of the Legislature

Executive Summary: A "Balanced Approach" to Solving the Deficit while Safeguarding Quality-of-Life Priorities

A 10-Point Plan to Balance the Budget without Raising Fees

Part 1:
Put Politics and Accounting Gimmicks Aside to Create a Bipartisan and Effective Solution

Part 2:
Idenfity the Problem: Out-of-Control Spending

Part 3:
Target Spending Reductions Based on Priorities and Performance-Based Budgeting

Part 4:
Streamline and Reorganize State Government through Consolidation and e-Government

Part 5:
Personnel Reforms and Workforce Incentives

Part 6:
Enact Competitive Sourcing and Procurement Reforms

Part 7:
Reform Education

Part 8:
Implement Health and Social Welfare Reforms

Part 9:
Enact a Biennial Budget and Limit Constitutional Revenue and Spending

Part 10:
Stabilize Revenues by Creating the Most Jobs-Friendly State in the Nation

Appendix A: Tax and Fee Proposals Introduced by the Legislature as of April 3, 2003

Appendix B: Budget Cuts

Endnotes