...by raising expenditure yet again. This time, the legislature wants to introduce a new 'fee' on alcohol, allegedly for the good of the nation:

AB 1019 generates $1.4 billion in revenue to fund alcohol-related emergency medical and trauma care; hospitalization and rehabilitation services; treatment and recovery services; prevention, education, and research to prevent alcohol abuse; and criminal justice and enforcement programs.

California, being in debt almost worse than France, should rather stop spending money. They could at least use the money from the alcohol levy to do that, instead of raping the average consumer even more. But then, California, with it's already sky-high taxation levels, is doing everything to make sure that all the people who pay more than they get from the state leave for greener pastures.

Somehow, I suspect the legislature copied that from Germany and France, two examples not worth following in that matter.