Op-ed by
Henry A.J. Ramos, President & CEO, Insight Center for Community Development
Chris Hoene, Executive Director, California Budget & Policy Center
California is back. Less than a decade ago, California stood on the brink of fiscal disaster due to both the Great Recession and ill-advised policy choices made in prior years. Today the Golden State has a growing economy that is among the nation's bright spots. Hiring in California is outpacing the national average, with the number of jobs here growing by 14.6 percent since the recovery began. What's more, a mix of smart policy choices, including voter approval in November 2012 of temporary income tax and sales tax rate increases, are working in tandem with a growing state economy to put California on the path to fiscal health. Increased revenues have allowed state policymakers to begin catching up on investments in education and expand health coverage to millions of previously uninsured Californians, among other public investments, while also paying down debt and saving for a rainy day.