“Our world, our way of life, our system of governance all are at immediate and genuine risk. Endless new weapons systems, growing antagonism among nations, the poison in our politics, climate change,” Brown said. “All of this calls out for courage, for imagination and for generous dialogue.”

The Democratic governor touted what he sees as accomplishments, including guiding California from an economic catastrophe along with promoting the state as a leader on issues like climate change and immigration reform.

Overall, the 79-year-old governor portrayed California as an example to be followed while lambasting the “poison of our politics,” an apparent reference to Trump and the GOP agenda in Washington.

“Despite what is widely believed by some of the most powerful people in Washington, the science of climate change is not in doubt,” Brown told the Legislature. “All nations agree except one, and that is solely because of one man: our current president.”

Citing headlines like “California Is Doomed” when he entered the office for a second time in 2011, Brown pointed to the extension of cap-and-trade, a budget surplus and pension reform as reasons to bet on the Golden State in years to come.

“All these programs are big and very important to our future,” the governor continued. “And their passage demonstrates that some American governments can actually get things done – even in the face of deepening partisan division.”

However, Republican critics argue the current state of the pension system is still untenable and the high poverty rate and skyrocketing cost of living are issues yet to be adequately addressed in Sacramento.

“Some people are spending 50 percent of their pay on rent,” Republican Assembly Leader Brian Dahle said after the speech. “With increasing taxes, they’re raising revenues off the back of people here.”

And the address would not have been complete without reference to Brown’s bullet train project, with him admitting that “I make no bones about it. I like trains, and I like high-speed trains even better.”

The price of the high-speed rail connecting the north and south of the state has faced increased costs in the decade since voters approved it. For example, as the Los Angeles Times noted, the first installment – from Bakersfield to Madera – is already $4.6 billion over budget.

“Yes, it costs lots of money, but it is still cheaper and more convenient than expanding airports and building new freeways to meet the growing demand,” Brown said in defense. “It will be fast, quiet, and powered by renewable electricity and last for a hundred years.”

Overall, Brown exits with his state having positioned itself at the center of the so-called “resistance” against President Trump. In addition to several lawsuits challenging Washington on issues like sanctuary cities and fracking, culturally, California has come to embody all things anti-Trump.

“Here in California, we follow a different path,” the governor said.

While Brown did not comment on the current race to fill his office, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom stands as the overwhelming frontrunner and, aside from his opposition to the bullet train, is campaigning on a platform that’s mostly consistent with Brown’s wider agenda, suggesting that in 2018, voters may choose to continue the direction the outgoing governor envisions.

Brown defiant and conciliatory in State of the State

Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In case you missed it, Jerry Brown teetered between conciliatory and defiant in his annual State of the State address on Tuesday.  

The popular Democratic governor echoed other Democratic leaders in the state by taking shots at Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans and their proposed, yet sometimes vague, agenda.

On the day Trump pushed through two controversial oil projects opposed by environmentalists, with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act slowly working through Congress and with federal action on immigration looming on the horizon, Brown pointed to the battle lines drawn between the state and the federal government.

“While no one knows what the new leaders will actually do, there are signs that are disturbing,” Brown said. “We have seen the bald assertion of ‘alternative facts.’ We have heard the blatant attacks on science. Familiar signposts of our democracy – truth, civility, working together – have been obscured or swept aside.”

CalWatchdog has more.

In other news:

• Cap and trade: “California’s marquee climate-change program faced tough scrutiny on Tuesday from a state appeals court judge who seemed skeptical that the $4.4 billion raised from the state’s cap-and-trade program complied with laws regulating taxes and fees,” reports The Sacramento Bee. 

• 2018: “Mayor Kevin Faulconer says he has ‘unwavering support’ for San Diego’s close binational ties with Mexico in the face of a pending border crackdown by President Donald Trump,” writes The San Diego Union-Tribune.

• Family law: “California lawmakers will weigh whether family courts should allow children as young as 10 to testify before judges regarding parent custody or visitation rights.” The Los Angeles Times has more. 

• Musical chairs: “Xavier Becerra, a longtime U.S. congressman, was confirmed Monday as California attorney general as the state braces for conflict with the Trump administration on policies ranging from health care to immigration and the environment.” Politico has more. 

Legislature:

• Gone till Thursday. 

Gov. Brown:

• No public events announced. 

Tips: matt@calwatchdog.com

Follow us: @calwatchdog @mflemingterp

New follower: @ACCOC

The popular Democratic governor echoed other Democratic leaders in the state by taking shots at Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans and their proposed, yet sometimes vague, agenda.

On the day Trump pushed through two controversial oil projects opposed by environmentalists, with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act slowly working through Congress and with federal action on immigration looming on the horizon, Brown pointed to the battle lines drawn between the state and the federal government.

“While no one knows what the new leaders will actually do, there are signs that are disturbing,” Brown said. “We have seen the bald assertion of ‘alternative facts.’ We have heard the blatant attacks on science. Familiar signposts of our democracy – truth, civility, working together – have been obscured or swept aside.”

Yet the tone wasn’t entirely combative, compared to legislative leaders. Brown lauded Trump’s plans for massive investment in infrastructure (“Amen to that, brother”) and highlighted bipartisan accomplishments in the state, like the creation of the rainy-day fund and the water bond.

Brown also drew a stark contrast with Hillary Clinton, who, during the campaign season, referred to half of Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables.” 

“Democrats are in the majority, but Republicans represent real Californians too,” Brown said. “We went beyond party when we reformed workers’ compensation, when we created a rainy-day fund and when we passed the water bond.”

Brown lauded accomplishments during his governorship, which included increasing education funding, passing climate-change legislation, removing a substantial budget deficit and adding millions of people to insurance plans through both Medi-Cal and private policies.

A significant portion of the speech was devoted to immigration, noting immigrants are “an integral part of who we are and what we’ve become.” Brown called attention to some of the state’s immigration initiatives, like the Trust Act and a measure issuing driver licenses to undocumented immigrants, saying “we may be called to defend those laws and defend we will.”

“Whether it’s the threat to our budget, or to undocumented Californians, or to our efforts to combat climate change – or even more global threats such as a financial meltdown or a nuclear incident or terrorist attack – this is a time which calls out for courage and for perseverance,” Brown said. “I promise you both.”

Photo Credit: abc7.com

With a cautiously optimistic tone, Gov. Jerry Brown preached prudence on Thursday morning during his annual State of the State address.

The speech — courteous in its brevity, clocking in at under 20 minutes — touted accomplishments and initiatives, like a budget surplus, several credit upgrades, a rainy-day fund, increased education spending and a raise in the minimum wage. However, it was most notable for its call to pay down existing obligations before creating new ones.

“The challenge is to solve today’s problems without making those of tomorrow even worse,” Brown told a packed Assembly floor, arguing the need for preparedness for life’s uncertainty. “In that spirit, you are not going to hear me talk today about new programs. Rather, I am going to focus on how we pay for the commitments we have already made.”

On the budget — Brown released his version earlier this month — the popular Democratic governor said that state economists predict that the next recession, if only of average intensity, “would cut our revenues by $55 billion over three years.”

“That is why it is imperative to build up the rainy-day fund, which was recently overwhelmingly approved by the voters, and invest our temporary surpluses in badly needed infrastructure or in other ways that will not lock in future spending,” Brown said.

Brown’s budget had revenue exceeding expectations by $3.6 billion, with most of the money being tucked into the rainy-day fund, according the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

While all the talk of fiscal restraint is likely to appease some concerns from the right, there was plenty to like for those on the left. On inequality, Brown touted a raise in the minimum wage, an Earned Income Tax Credit, paid sick leave and other traditionally Democratic priorities, including expanded access to health care under the Affordable Care Act.

“Most importantly – and this is truly monumental – we have wholeheartedly embraced the Affordable Care Act,” Brown said. “This is an historic achievement. It will provide health security to so many who could not otherwise afford it.”

Brown asked that legislators consider the revised managed care organization tax, a greater explanation of which can be found here on the California Chamber of Commerce website.

Brown applauded the 51 percent increase in education spending since 2011 and spoke of the need for increased funding for roads. He touted the Paris climate agreement and the Prop. 1 water bond, noting the bond’s passage as one of the “bright spots in our contentious politics.”

The transcript can be found here.

The proposed budget can be found here.

The LAO’s analysis of the budget can be found here.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State address this morning kicked off a similar theme in what effectively was his re-election pitch. He didn’t imitate Reagan and say, exactly, “It’s Morning in California.” But the meaning still was there. The governor enthused:

“What a comeback it is. A million new jobs since 2010, a budgetary surplus in the billions and a minimum wage rising to $10 an hour! 

“This year, Californians have a lot to be proud of. For a decade, budget instability was the order of the day. A lethal combination of national recessions, improvident tax cuts and too much spending created a financial sink hole that defied every effort to climb out. But three years later, here we are – with state spending and revenues solidly balanced, and more to come.”

Of course things are better than when he took office three years ago to clean up the wreckage of the disastrous Schwarzenegger administration. But unemployment in California remains stubbornly high, at 8.5 percent, sixth worst in the country; and well above such rivals as Texas at 6.1 percent and Florida at 6.4 percent. Both those states lack a state income tax, compared to the hefty top California rate of 13.3 percent because of Brown’s Proposition 30 tax increase.

The increase in the minimum wage Brown touted also likely will kill jobs, making unemployment worse.

And a November study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that, when California’s sky-high cost of living was figured into calculations, the state suffered the country’s worst poverty rate.

Threats

Of course, if a politician simply says, “Life is wonderful,” then there’s no need to re-elect him. Anybody else could do the job.

So the politician has to bring up future threats that only he can vanquish. Brown:

“But we are not out of the woods and we certainly are not out of the drought. Life is uncertainty, the climate is changing – not for the better – and the business cycle and the stock market are historically volatile, with good years followed by bad, with painful regularity.”

“Better” on climate depends on where you live. California’s weather in recent weeks has been at its balmy best. But the Northeast of the country has been plunged into a new global cooling, probably due to the lack of sunspots.

Brown no doubt believes that “global warming”/climate change is occurring, bringing with it the continued need for imposing AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.

But it’s also good politics. Brown knows that election victories ride on the backs of coalitions. An essential element of his coalition is environmentalists. He has offended some of them already by advancing fracking and loosening the California Environmental Quality Act to fight the drought. So continuing to advance the global-warming hypothesis and the policies to fight it keeps the enviros on his side.

Budget

Brown also knows his reputation for frugality sells with voters, including many Republicans. So even though he actually has increased spending more than 20 percent in three years, he maintained:

“And while we know our revenues will fluctuate up and down, our long-term liabilities are enormous and ever growing. Let me list some of them: Over $100 billion for pensions owed to state workers, teachers and judges; tens of billions needed to cover retiree health care; and $65 billion needed to maintain and keep our roads, buildings and other infrastructure in sound repair. We also must account for future risks that could negatively affect our budgets like congressional decisions, natural disasters and the uncertain costs of the Affordable Care Act.

“So we can’t go back to ‘business as usual.’ Boom and bust is our lot and we must follow the ancient advice, recounted in the Book of Genesis, that Joseph gave to the Pharaoh: Put away your surplus during the years of great plenty so you will be ready for the lean years which are sure to follow.”

You never know. And Brown, as an astute politician, will take nothing for granted. But the economy probably will remain strong enough in 2014 to keep him in the governor’s chair.

The problem comes when, as he warned, bad times return. There isn’t enough wiggle room in his proposed budget for fiscal 2014-15, which begins on July 1, to avoid massive new deficits during a recession. And the pension problems he warned about are not going away.

In short, the State of the State probably is good enough for Brown to stay in office, but the long-term problems still are not being dealt with adequately.

To help us better understand, here’s Elmer Fudd translating Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State speech for us:

As weqwiwed by the state constitution, I am wepowting to you this mowning on the condition of ouw state.

Putting it as simpwy as I can, Cawifownia is on the mend. Wast yeaw, we wewe wooking at a stwuctuwaw deficit of ovew $20 biwwion, uh-hah-hah-hah. It was a weaw mess. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! But you wose to the occasion and togethew we shwunk state govewnment, weduced ouw bowwowing costs and twansfewwed key functions to wocaw govewnment, cwosew to the peopwe. De wesuwt is a pwobwem one fouwf as wawge as the one we confwonted wast yeaw.

My goaw then was to bawance budget cuts wif a tempowawy extension of existing taxes—if the votews appwoved. You made the weductions and some vewy difficuwt decisions but the fouw Wepubwican votes needed to put the tax measuwe on the bawwot wewe not thewe. So we awe weft wif unfinished business: cwosing the wemaining gap.

Again, I pwopose cuts and tempowawy taxes. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Neithew is popuwaw but bof must be done. In a wowwd stiww weewing fwom the neaw cowwapse of the financiaw system, it makes no sense to spend mowe than we have. De financiaw downgwading of the United States, as weww as of sevewaw govewnments in Euwope, shouwd be wawning enough. It is said that the woad to heww is paved wif good intentions and digging ouwsewves into a deep financiaw howe—to do good—is a bad idea. In this time of uncewtainty, pwudence and paying down debt is the best powicy.

Fow my pawt, I am detewmined to pwess ahead bof wif substantiaw budget cuts and my tax initiative. De cuts awe not ones I wike but the situation demands them. As fow the initiative, it is faiw. It is tempowawy. It is hawf of what peopwe wewe paying in 2010. And it wiww pwotect ouw schoows and guawantee—in the constitution—funding fow the pubwic safety pwogwams we twansfewwed to wocaw govewnment. Wif enough time, we can and shouwd devise mowe pewmanent tax wefowm but fow now we shouwd finish the job of bwinging spending into bawance wif wevenues. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

Putting ouw fiscaw house in owdew is good stewawdship and hewps us wegain the twust of the peopwe. It awso buiwds confidence in Cawifownia as a pwace to invest and weawize one’s dweams. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Contwawy to those cwitics who fantasize that Cawifownia is a faiwed state, I see unspent potentiaw and incwedibwe oppowtunity. Evewy decade since the 60’s, dystopian jouwnawists wwite stowies on the impending decwine of ouw economy, ouw cuwtuwe and ouw powitics. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Yes, it is faiw to say that Cawifownia is tuwbuwent, wess pwedictabwe and, weww, diffewent. Yet, wook at the facts. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

Aftew the mowtgage bubbwe buwst in 2007, Cawifownia wost a miwwion jobs, much of it dwiven by the ovewwevewaged constwuction industwy and its financiaw pawtnews in the undew-weguwated mowtgage industwy. De wesuwt is a wecovewy faw swowew than aftew the pwevious six nationaw wecessions. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! But now we awe coming back. In 2011, Cawifownia pewsonaw income gwew by awmost $100 biwwion and 230,000 jobs wewe cweated—a wate much highew than the nation as a whowe.

Contwawy to those decwinists, who sing of Texas and bemoan ouw woes, Cawifownia is stiww the wand of dweams—as weww as the Dweam Act. It’s the pwace whewe Appwe, Intew, Hewwett-Packawd, Owacwe, QWAWCOMM, Twittew, Facebook and countwess othew cweative companies aww began, uh-hah-hah-hah. It’s home to mowe Nobew Wauweates and ventuwe capitaw investment than any othew state. In 2010, Cawifownia weceived 48% of U.S. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! ventuwe capitaw investments. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! In the fiwst thwee months of wast yeaw it wose even highew—to 52%. Dat is mowe than fouw times gweatew that the next wecipient, Massachusetts. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! As fow new patents, Cawifownia inventows wewe awawded awmost fouw times as many as inventows fwom the next state, New Yowk.

Cawifownia has pwobwems but wumows of its demise awe gweatwy exaggewated.

De yeaw 2012 pwesents pwenty of oppowtunity and, if we wowk togethew, we can:

Stimuwate jobs

Buiwd wenewabwe enewgy

Weduce powwution and gweenhouse gasses

Waunch the nation’s onwy high-speed waiw system

Weach agweement on a pwan to fix the Dewta

Impwove ouw schoows

Wefowm ouw pensions, and,

Make suwe that pwison weawignment is wowking—to pwotect pubwic safety and weduce wecidivism.

Wast yeaw, I appointed a top advisow wif an impwessive backgwound in the pwivate sectow and chawged him wif finding out what doesn’t wowk fow business in this state and how to fix it. What he heawd consistentwy was that business needed an effective champion to navigate the state’s pwethowa of compwex waws and weguwations which can discouwage investment and job cweation, uh-hah-hah-hah. You enacted a waw to westwuctuwe ouw office of business devewopment and pwace it in the govewnow’s office. Undew the name GO-BIZ, we now have a point of contact at the highest wevew fow businesses wawge and smaww. Mowe than that, the GO-BIZ office is staffed wif peopwe who undewstand what it’s wike to be in business and stand weady to intewvene and give weaw hewp to get businesses open and pwojects off the gwound.

Awweady Cawifownia is weading the nation in cweating jobs in wenewabwe enewgy and the design and constwuction of mowe efficient buiwdings and new technowogies. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Ouw state keeps demanding mowe efficient stwuctuwes, caws, machines and ewectwic devices. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! We do that because we undewstand that fossiw fuews, pawticuwawwy foweign oiw, cweate evew wising costs to ouw economy and to ouw heawth. It is twue that the wenewabwe enewgy sectow is smaww wewative to the ovewaww economy but it pays good wages and wiww onwy gwow biggew as oiw pwices incwease and the effects of cwimate change become mowe obvious and expensive.

I have set a goaw of 20,000 megawatts of wenewabwe enewgy by 2020. You have waid the foundation by adopting the weqwiwement that one thiwd of ouw ewectwicity come fwom wenewabwe souwces by that date. Dis mowning I can teww you we awe on twack to meet that goaw and substantiawwy exceed it. In the wast two yeaws awone, Cawifownia has pewmitted ovew 16,000 megawatts of sowaw, wind and geothewmaw enewgy pwojects. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

In the beginning of the computew industwy, jobs wewe numbewed in the thousands. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Now they awe in the miwwions. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! De same thing wiww happen wif gween jobs. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! And Cawifownia is positioned pewfectwy to weap the economic benefits that wiww inevitabwy fwow.

Cawifownia awso weads the nation in cweaning up the aiw, encouwaging ewectwic vehicwes and weducing powwution and gweenhouse gases. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Ouw vehicwe emissions standawds—which have awways set the pace—now have been adopted by the fedewaw govewnment fow the west of the countwy.

Undew AB 32, Cawifownia has stepped out and cwafted a bowd pwan to deaw wif cwimate change and foweign oiw dependency. De pwan wiww weqwiwe wess cawbon in ouw fuews, mowe efficient technowogies acwoss a bwoad swaf of businesses and a cawefuwwy designed cap and twade system that uses mawket incentives instead of pwescwiptive mandates. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

As a wesuwt, Cawifownia is attwacting biwwions of dowwaws in cwean tech ventuwe capitaw investments. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! In 2011, awmost 40% of such investments wewe made in Cawifownia, making ouw state not onwy the weadew in the nation but in the wowwd.

My commitment is to continue these innovative pwogwams and buiwd on them in the coming yeaw in evewy way that I can, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Just as bowd is ouw pwan to buiwd a high-speed waiw system, connecting the Nowthewn and Southewn pawts of ouw state. Dis is not a new idea. As govewnow the wast time, I signed wegiswation to study the concept. Now thiwty yeaws watew, we awe within weeks of a wevised business pwan that wiww enabwe us to begin initiaw constwuction befowe the yeaw is out.

Pwesident Obama stwongwy suppowts the pwoject and has pwovided the majowity of funds fow this fiwst phase. It is now youw decision to evawuate the pwan and decide what action to take. Without any hesitation, I uwge youw appwovaw.

If you bewieve that Cawifownia wiww continue to gwow, as I do, and that miwwions mowe peopwe wiww be wiving in ouw state, this is a wise investment. Buiwding new wunways and expanding ouw aiwpowts and highways is the onwy awtewnative. Dat is not cheapew and wiww face even mowe powiticaw opposition, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Dose who bewieve that Cawifownia is in decwine wiww natuwawwy shwink back fwom such a stwenuous undewtaking. I undewstand that feewing but I don’t shawe it, because I know this state and the spiwit of the peopwe who choose to wive hewe. Cawifownia is stiww the Gowd Mountain that Chinese immigwants in 1848 came acwoss the Pacific to find. De weawf is diffewent, dewived as it is, not fwom mining the Siewwas but fwom the cweative imagination of those who invent and buiwd and genewate the ideas that dwive ouw economy fowwawd.

Cwitics of the high-speed waiw pwoject abound as they often do when something of this magnitude is pwoposed. Duwing the 1930’s, De Centwaw Vawwey Watew Pwoject was cawwed a “fantastic dweam” that “wiww not wowk.” De Mastew Pwan fow the Intewstate Highway System in 1939 was dewided as “new Deaw jittewbug economics. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! ” In 1966, then Mayow Johnson of Bewkewey cawwed BAWT a “biwwion dowwaw potentiaw fiasco.” Simiwawwy, the Panama Canaw was fow yeaws thought to be impwacticaw and Benjamin Diswaewi himsewf said of the Suez Canaw: “totawwy impossibwe to be cawwied out.” De cwitics wewe wwong then and they’we wwong now.

Anothew huge issue we must tackwe is watew. Wast week, Secwetawy of the Intewiow, Ken Sawazaw – met hewe in Sacwamento wif those in my administwation who awe wowking to compwete the Bay Dewta Consewvation Pwan, uh-hah-hah-hah. Togethew we agweed that by this summew we shouwd have the basic ewements of the pwoject we need to buiwd. Dis is something my fathew wowked on and then I wowked on—decades ago. We know mowe now and awe committed to the duaw goaws of westowing the Dewta ecosystem and ensuwing a wewiabwe watew suppwy.

Dis is an enowmous pwoject. It wiww ensuwe watew fow 25 miwwion Cawifownians and fow miwwions of acwes of fawmwand as weww a hundwed thousand acwes of new habitat fow spawning fish and othew wiwdwife. To get it done wiww weqwiwe time, powiticaw wiww and countwess pewmits fwom state and fedewaw agencies. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! I invite youw cowwabowation and constwuctive engagement.

Next, I want to say something about ouw schoows. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Dey consume mowe tax dowwaws than any othew govewnment activity and wightwy so as they have a pwofound effect on ouw futuwe. Since evewyone goes to schoow, evewyone thinks they know something about education and in a sense they do. But that doesn’t stop expewts and academics and foundation consuwtants fwom offewing theiw ideas — usuawwy wabewed wefowm and weguwawwy changing at ten yeaw intewvaws—on how to get kids weawning mowe and bettew. It is sawutawy and even edifying that so much intewest is shown in the next genewation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Nevewthewess, in a state wif six miwwion students, 300,000 teachews, deep economic divisions and a hundwed diffewent wanguages, some humiwity is cawwed fow.

In that spiwit, I offew these thoughts. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Fiwst, wesponsibiwity must be cweawwy dewineated between the vawious wevews of powew that have a stake in ouw educationaw system. What most needs to be avoided is concentwating mowe and mowe decision-making at the fedewaw ow state wevew. Fow bettew ow wowse, we depend on ewected schoow boawds and the pwincipaws and the teachews they hiwe. To me that means, we shouwd set bwoad goaws and have a good accountabiwity system, weaving the weaw wowk to those cwosest to the students. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Yes, we shouwd demand continuous impwovement in meeting ouw state standawds but we shouwd not impose excessive ow detaiwed mandates. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

My budget pwoposes to wepwace categowicaw pwogwams wif a new weighted student fowmuwa that pwovides a basic wevew of funding wif additionaw money fow disadvantaged students and those stwuggwing to weawn Engwish. Dis wiww give mowe authowity to wocaw schoow distwicts to fashion the kind of pwogwams they see theiw students need. It wiww awso cweate twanspawency, weduce buweaucwacy and simpwify compwex funding stweams. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit!

Given the cutbacks to education in wecent yeaws, it is impewative that Cawifownia devote mowe tax dowwaws to this most basic of pubwic sewvices. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! If we awe successfuw in passing the tempowawy taxes I have pwoposed and the economy continues to expand, schoows wiww be in a much stwongew position, uh-hah-hah-hah.

No system, howevew, wowks without accountabiwity. In Cawifownia we have detaiwed state standawds and wots of tests. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Unfowtunatewy, the wesuwting data is not pwovided untiw aftew the schoow yeaw is ovew. Even today, the wanking of schoows based on tests taken in Apwiw and May of 2011 is not avaiwabwe. I bewieve it is time to weduce the numbew of tests and get the wesuwts to teachews, pwincipaws and supewintendents in weeks, not months. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! Wif timewy data, pwincipaws and supewintendents can bettew mentow and guide teachews as weww as make sound evawuations of theiw pewfowmance. I awso bewieve we need a qwawitative system of assessments, such as a site visitation pwogwam whewe each cwasswoom is visited, obsewved and evawuated. I wiww wowk wif the State Boawd of Education to devewop this pwoposaw.

De house of education is divided by powewfuw fowces and stwong emotions. Oh, dat scwewy wabbit! My wowe as govewnow is not to choose sides but to wisten, to engage and to wead. I wiww do that. I embwace bof wefowm and twadition—not compwacency. My hunch is that pwincipaws and teachews know the most, but I’ww take good ideas fwom whewevew they come.

As fow pensions, I have put fowf my 12 point pwoposaw. Examine it. Impwove it. But pwease take up the issue and do something weaw. I am committed to pension wefowm because I bewieve thewe is a weaw pwobwem. Dwee times as many peopwe awe wetiwing as awe entewing the wowkfowce. Dat awithmetic doesn’t add up. In addition, benefits, contwibutions and the age of wetiwement aww have to bawance. I don’t bewieve they do today. So we have to take action, uh-hah-hah-hah. And we shouwd do it this yeaw.

As fow pwison weawignment, we awe just at the beginning. De coopewation of shewiffs, powice chiefs, pwobation officews, distwict attowneys and wocaw officiaws has been wemawkabwe. But we have much to do—to pwotect pubwic safety and weduce wecidivism—and togethew, we’ww get it done.

It is one thing to pass a waw and qwite anothew to impwement it and make it wowk.

As I see it, that’s my job as govewnow and chief executive: make the opewations of govewnment wowk—efficientwy, honestwy and in the peopwes’ intewest. Wif youw hewp, that’s what we’ww do in 2012 and pwove the decwinists wwong once again, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Dank you.

I’m going to live-blog Gov. Jerry Brown’s State-of-the-State address, at 10 am on Jan. 18, 2012. Assuming the technology works. You can watch his address online here.

Let’s blog!

9:43 am: A minister is leading a prayer. I thought the U.S. Supreme Court banned religion in government buildings in America? I guess it’s OK, though, because the minister attacked “individualism.” Translation: Stop opposing the tax increases Gov. Brown will be asking for!

9:45: Some mundane business of the Assembly.

10:02: The governor is late. Typical for this state.

10:03. One good thing. At least Arnold isn’t here conjuring up his fantasies about how everything is “fantastisch!” in “Kauliphornia!” even as he was destroying the state.

10:06: Assembly Speaker Perez says he’s appointing an escort for the governor. Six minutes late. Can’t he escort himself?

“Waiting for Jerry” sounds like a Hollywood flop, the kind of stinker they release in January because they know it’s no good.

Brown Arrives — Late

10:08: Enter Brown, to applause. The legislators are eager for him to call for increasing taxes so they can pay for the massive pensions of their string-pullers in the government-workers’ unions.

Brown’s wife is introduced to applause.

10:09. Lt. Gov. Newsom is introduced, to less applause, then Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and the other state officers. Supreme Court justices.

10:11: Darrell Steinberg, president pro-tem of the Senate. Like Perez, he’s a union hack. He calls for “positive achievements.”

10:12: The Internet signal to Brown’s Web site went down. Brown’s office can’t even get a streaming video to work. I checked my computer. It’s fine.

Brown: “Increase Taxes”

10:16. Brown talking about shrinking a $20 billion structural deficit last year. Problem now 1/4 of last year: $5 billion.

Laments 4 Republican votes were lacking to put tax increase on the ballot in 2011.

“Again, I propose cuts and temporary taxes. Neither is popular, but both must be done.”

He talks about the economic problems in Europe. Which — he doesn’t say — were due to government profligacy like California’s.

He says he’s determined to go ahead with spending cuts and tax increases, which would be half of the tax increase (Arnold’s) in place in 2010.

Brown says, in the long term, more substantial tax reform is needed. But such reforms only happen during a crisis, like now.

Says California is not a “failed state.” Yes it is. His governorship is proof.

The recession was bad, he says, but economy now is growing. He doesn’t mention that the growth occurred after Arnold’s 2009 tax increases expired in 2011 — and were not re-imposed.

Dream Act Great

He lauds the Dream Act, which gave special subsidies from tax dollars to illegal alien students at California’s government universities and colleges. But if Brown and the Legislature don’t follow the law, why should we?

10:21: California has problems, but opportunity. He dreams: fix the delta, build high-speed rail (he’s stuck on that), reduce greenhouse gases, etc. He’s in full Moonbeam mode.

New GoBiz office promotes business. Another bureaucracy. But what’s really needed is cuts in taxes and regulations.

Our state keeps demanding more efficient energy. Actually, it’s the government forcing us.

Talks about climate change — disproved by the climategate scandal.

Talks about 33 percent mandate for renewable energy. But some estimates say that will double energy costs. Why should he care? He’s rich.

Green jobs, he says, are in their infancy, like computers were decades ago. Wrong.

AB 32 means California “stepped out” — yes, into lala land. It uses “market incentives” instead of mandates. Not for industries leaving the state because the “incentives” are just crony capitalism to fund hucksters like Al Gore.

10:25: High-Speed Rail new biz plan soon. Will start building the first phase. Obama behind it. “Without hesitation, I urge your approval,” he says. Good. This will become the poster boondoggle for the anti-tax increase forces in November.

If you believe CA is in decline, you’ll “shrink back from such an undertaking.” But, he insists, CA still is the “gold mountain” the Chinese immigrants called it in the 19th century.

“Critics of high-speed rail aboud.” Yes, because it’s a boondoggle.

I need a drink. Too bad I’m at work.

“The critics are… wrong now. We’re going to build the first phase” because its $2 billion cost is worth it, and will pay for itself. Moonbeam!

Water project. Dual goals: restoring Delta ecosystem, ensuring a reliable water supply. Great. But he’ll mess it up.

Schools

10:29. Schools. “Have a profound effect on our future,” he said. A good reason to be a pessimist.

6 million students, 300,000 teachers (whose union owns him), “Some humility is called for.”

“Thoughts”: responsibilty must be clearly delineated between the various levels of power. Don’t concentrate decision making at the federal or state level. Too late, Jerry. The Feds run everything.

Will he mention the key “level of power”: parents? No, he doesn’t mention them. Parents are irrelevant to him.

Budget, he says, replaces categorical spending with “more authority to local school districts… create transparency… reduce bureaucracy.” Good luck on that one.

He says we need to “devote more tax dollars” to education. “Schools will be in a much stronger position.” No they won’t. The tax money will just go to pensions.

Too many tests, he said, with the results coming too slowly. Need fewer tests, with numbers available fast. Good luck on that one, too.

Wants more supervision of teaching.

Pensions

10:33: Pensions. “I put forth my 12-point proposal. Examine it. Improve it.” We did, here. His reform is pathetic.

He says it’s a real problem. “Three times as many are retiring as are entering the workforce.” He seems to be talking about retirement in general, not just government-worker retirements.

Prison alignment: We’re just beginning. Cooperation is remarkable. “But we have much to do.”

10:34: “The declinists of Calfironia are wrong. We’re on the move. We’re on the mend. Let’s get it done.”

For some reason that reminds me of Ringo’s comment in “A Hard Day’s Night”: “I’m not a mocker. I’m a rocker.”

Brown’s finished. Blessedly, a speech of only about half an hour.  About middling in effectiveness as these speeches go. He’s optimistic about the state. He’s pushing reforms. He wants a lot more of your tax money. He’s still Moonbeam dreaming of a future of bullet trains and renewable energy.

But his dream is California’s nightmare.

-Anthony Pignataro