The problem with the Sales Tax is that it doesn’t apply to services, rents, groceries, etc. Services account for 70% of the economy. Subtract all the stuff that is not subject to Sales Tax and probably only 20% of spending gets taxed. Apply an 8% tax rate to 20% of spending and you are only going to collect 1.6% of all spending in Sales Tax revenue.
All this means that if the Sales Tax applied to all spending, it could be reduced from 8% to 5% and collect three times the revenue, while encouraging residents to buy local rather than online to avoid the higher sales tax. That higher sales tax revenue could be used to reduce income taxes on corporations and individuals.
Instead, CA always takes the approach that hits those with disposable income hardest and coddles to subsistence residents the most. It makes no sense at all.