George Skelton: Newsom's budget plan reflects his rosy view of the economy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — How do you cut a colossal $68 billion state budget deficit nearly in half? Easy. With a pencil.

You simply erase the "68" and write in "38."

I'm being only half facetious.

Budgeting in Sacramento is basically guesswork anyway. One number — one tax revenue calculation — is essentially as valid as another at this stage. It's five months before a budget must be passed by the Legislature.

Gov. Gavin Newsom chose to take a relatively rosy view of the 2024 economy Wednesday in sending the Legislature a roughly