On January 4th, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown was sworn in for an unprecedented third term as California's governor, taking the reins of a state battered by the national economic downturn and a seemingly endless budget crisis. Twenty seven years after he ended his first round as governor, Jerry Brown handed Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman a sizeable defeat despite her spending more than $140 million in her quest for the governor’s office. Governor Brown is the son of the late former Governor Pat Brown. He first became governor in his own right in 1975, when the Golden State economy was vibrant and the envy of the nation. Stating that he has “not come here to embrace delay and denial," the Governor has called upon Democrats and Republicans in the oft-gridlocked state legislature to work together in making the tough choices needed to get California back on a strong economic footing. Much has changed in Sacramento between the tenures of Governor Brown, who held the governor's post before term limits were instituted, as he works toward that goal. In the decades since he left office, state officials and legislators lost flexibility on budget matters in large part due to the property-tax cap instituted by Proposition 13, the strict school funding mandates resulting from the passage of Proposition 98, and a host of other voter-approved ballot measures. Those fiscal constraints, coupled with a dramatic increase in spending on permanent programs, have created an unsustainable dynamic that the new Governor has pledged to permanently unwind. Confronting a state with high unemployment and a record deficit, Governor Brown used his inaugural speech to pledge fiscal austerity, job creation and a broad effort to rebuild public trust in state government. In the speech, the Governor referred to Californians’ intrepid spirit as he outlined the monumental task ahead: closing the multi-billion dollar budget deficit and getting the California economy moving again. “From the native peoples who survived the total transformation of their way of life, to the most recent arrival, stories of courage abound. And it’s not over,” As he acknowledged the magnitude of the state’s problems, he stated that California was up to the challenge, and that innovators in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and in small businesses throughout California “give hope to an even more abundant future up ahead,” On behalf of the members and Board of the … [Read more...]
