Fix the DMV. That’s my advice to Gov.-elect Jerry Brown. Why start with the Department of Motor Vehicles, when there is so much wrong in state government, so many problems, up to and including another massive budget deficit? Because nothing could do more to instill confidence in government among Californians, starting with teenagers who are still too young to vote.
California is about to get a new governor, but the situation in the state Capitol is not likely to change much in the months ahead. If Jerry Brown becomes the state’s next chief executive, as Tuesday night’s returns suggest will be the case, he will inherit a budget shortfall that will probably be about $15 billion to $20 billion on a $90 billion general fund. And he will be trying to work with a deeply divided Legislature, with Democrats holding strong control but Republicans still able to block any tax increases, which require a two-thirds vote for passage.