• Listen to this segment

• Listen to the entire program

Earlier this month, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report warning that California could continue to face multibillion dollar budget deficits for years to come. It projects that the state will face an immediate $20.7 billion dollar deficit in the upcoming 2010-2011 fiscal year. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has until January 10th to present a new spending plan to contend with the continued fiscal woes. Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor urged the Governor and state lawmakers to begin working on solutions as soon as possible and cautioned that if no permanent fixes are found, California will face budget deficits of at least $20 billion dollars annually through 2015. The harrowing projections come just four months after an overdue budget was signed by Schwarzenegger on July 28th that attempted to address the state’s $24 billion dollar budget shortfall for this year. Deep cuts were made in education, health care and important social services and similar slashes may be in store for next summer. Unrest over the burdens imposed by this year’s budget have already visibly erupted as University of California campuses across the state became sites of protests and arrests over the recent 32% raise in student fees. The continuing crisis has led some to deem California as the first failed state in the union. In a short radio documentary, Uprising intern and Cal State Northridge undergraduate Steve Gill characterizes the situation as “The End of California,” as he traces the effects of the budget cuts on students, teachers, and families while analyzing the roots of the crisis.

GUEST: Steve Gill, Uprising Intern, Undergraduate Student at Cal State Northridge