California is my home state, and for years our state legislature has been kicking the budget deficit can down the road. Now it seems we might have reached the end, as legislators struggle to close a new, eye-catchingly large $16-billion deficit, which has nearly doubled since Gov. Jerry Brown released his initial budget proposal in January.

This is nothing new for our state. Back in 2009, when the state faced a $21 billion deficit, I suggested several new flag designs that California could adopt, all featuring the same blame-free bear.

Unfortunately, there might not be much of a future for that poor bear if we can’t figure this problem out..

Many are calling Brown a butcher for proposing $8.3 billion in cuts, which include slashing welfare, social services and health care for the elderly, and converting state workers to a four-day work week…

Brown’s budget assumes voters will pass $8.5 billion in new taxes, but I don’t know many people who are going to support it…

Businesses are fleeing California as fast as they can…

As much as I love California, it’s not hard to see what it might look like in the future…