{"id":125670,"date":"2026-03-26T21:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670"},"modified":"2026-03-26T21:30:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:30:28","slug":"climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670","title":{"rendered":"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

California is “functionally bankrupt,” climate entrepreneur David Friedberg said in a recent interview with “Sourcery,<\/a>” pointing to pension liabilities, legal constraints, and government spending as drivers of a potential long-term fiscal crisis.<\/p>\n

Friedberg was asked to share an under-discussed “hot take” on politics and policy. He framed California’s financial outlook<\/a> as a largely overlooked issue with implications that could extend beyond the state.<\/p>\n

“People don\u2019t realize how screwed California is, and I worry that if California falls, so does the union,” Friedberg said.<\/p>\n

He argued that the scale of California’s fiscal exposure is tied directly to its public pension system, which guarantees retirement benefits to government employees and retirees. According to Friedburg, the gap between what has been contributed and what is owed has grown significantly over time.<\/p>\n

HOUSE COMMITTEE LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ‘RAMPANT’ CALIFORNIA HOSPICE FRAUD<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

He argued that the scale of California’s fiscal exposure is tied directly to its public pension system, which guarantees retirement benefits to government employees and retirees. According to Friedburg, the gap between what has been contributed and what is owed has grown significantly over time.<\/p>\n

“The amount that they\u2019re owed back out is somewhere between $250 billion to $1 trillion dollars more than has been paid in,” Friedberg said.<\/p>\n

Friedburg contrasted California’s position with that of the federal government, emphasizing that states operate under stricter fiscal constraints and cannot rely on monetary policy tools to offset deficits or obligations.<\/p>\n

“If it was the federal government, it would be like, OK, we\u2019ll just print more money,” he said. “California doesn\u2019t have the ability to print money, so California has to pay this out.”<\/p>\n

He also pointed to legal precedents<\/a> that, in his view, limit the state’s flexibility in addressing pension liabilities, even for current employees whose benefits have already been promised.<\/p>\n

“There was a Supreme Court case in California that said that once an employee has been offered retirement benefits\u2026 you can never restructure their retirement benefits,” Friedberg said. “It has to stay forever.”<\/p>\n

NEWSOM’S FAILED LEADERSHIP HAS LET CALIFORNIA BECOME A LAND OF FRAUD AND SCAMS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to benefit protections, Friedberg said California lacks a legal mechanism to declare bankruptcy, which further restricts options typically available to entities facing insolvency.<\/p>\n

“The state cannot declare bankruptcy. There\u2019s no way for the state to functionally declare bankruptcy. There\u2019s no law to allow it,” he said. “No state has ever declared bankruptcy.”<\/p>\n

Friedburg said \u00a0that under current financial structures, pension obligations must be paid before other liabilities, including debt owed to investors who finance state operations.<\/p>\n

CALIFORNIA DEMS UNLEASHED PRESSURE CAMPAIGN AGAINST USC PRIOR TO DEBATE CANCELLATION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“The retirement benefits sit senior to the bonds in California,” Friedberg said. “So you have to pay out the retirement benefits before you pay out all the bondholders.”<\/p>\n

Friedburg described the situation as a looming “fiscal cliff,” arguing that the scale and structure of the problem leave limited paths forward without broader economic or political consequences.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“I asked\u2026 where did the $14 billion go that went into that high-speed rail project? There was\u2026 no rail,” he said. “Whose pocket is that money in?”<\/p>\n

“Where the hell did the money go?\u2026 You can follow dollars. Where did they go? Who has all that money?” Friedberg asked.<\/p>\n

He said California needs a structural changes to address the issue.<\/p>\n

“California\u2019s functional bankruptcy<\/a> is a major risk to the country, and I think we need to figure out what we can change to fix it,” Friedberg said.<\/p>\n

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/climate-executive-david-friedberg-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California is “functionally bankrupt,” climate entrepreneur David Friedberg said in a recent interview with “Sourcery,” pointing to pension liabilities, legal constraints, and government spending as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-125670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClimate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"California is “functionally bankrupt,” climate entrepreneur David Friedberg said in a recent interview with “Sourcery,” pointing to pension liabilities, legal constraints, and government spending as […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-27T01:30:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-27T01:30:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\"},\"wordCount\":620,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\",\"name\":\"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-27T01:30:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation - Wall Street PR","og_description":"California is “functionally bankrupt,” climate entrepreneur David Friedberg said in a recent interview with “Sourcery,” pointing to pension liabilities, legal constraints, and government spending as […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-03-27T01:30:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation","datePublished":"2026-03-27T01:30:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670"},"wordCount":620,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670","name":"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-03-27T01:30:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/climate-executive-warns-california-functionally-bankrupt-1t-shortfall-could-shake-nation-125670#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Climate executive warns California \u2018functionally bankrupt,\u2019 $1T shortfall could shake nation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125670\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125670"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=125670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}