It’s inauguration day for California Governor Jerry Brown, and true to his thrifty tendencies, his speech is also this year’s state of the state address. Brown is the only governor to serve four terms in office, and with term limits enacted after his first stint as governor 40 years ago, it’s a milestone unlikely to be repeated.
“The state budget is finally balanced -- more precariously than I’d like -- but balanced,” Brown said early in the speech, in a nod to his biggest accomplishment in his third term. The Governor then touched on education, touting its move toward decentralization, the impact to health care through Covered California, prison changes through realignment and ballot measures that scale back of the three strikes laws, water and the environment, and drivers licences now being issued to undocumented residents.
Looking ahead, Brown cited pre-funding state employee pensions and funding repairs for roads and highways, and new environmental targets to combat climate change as top of his agenda. Among those targets, moving 50% of electricity generation to renewable sources, up from the existing goal of one third, and cutting fossil fuel use in cars in half.
Guests:
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC’s Education Correspondent
Ben Adler, Capitol Bureau Chief at Capitol Public Radio