Emily Ekins on California's Economic Crisis

It's official: Democrats have supermajorities in both the California state Assembly and Senate, meaning they can pass state tax increases without a single Republican vote. It's the first time since 1933 that a single party has controlled two-thirds of both the Senate and Assembly and the first time since 1883 the Democrats have had such majorities. "I promise that we will exercise this new power with strength, but also with humility and reason," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said. "I certainly don't intend to suggest to my colleagues that the first thing we do with our new power is to go out and seek to raise more taxes."

That's nice to hear. But as Emily Ekins explains, if Democrats don't tackle the real causes of the budget deficit—state spending—lawmakers may find something most would never envision: California voters calling for Wisconsin-like budget and pension reforms.