Gov. Brown Takes Message Of Cuts On The Road

Gov. Jerry Brown tonight is expected to discuss his proposal to eliminate the state budget deficit when he makes his first public appearance in the Los Angeles area since being sworn in last month.

Brown is scheduled to speak at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce’s 122nd annual Inaugural Dinner at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live. He is expected to echo “many of the themes he presented in the State of the State speech” as he “continues an open, and frank dialogue about the problems the state is facing,” deputy press secretary Evan Westrup told City News Service.

In the State of the State speech on Jan. 31, Brown said his “intention is to make California again a leader in job creation, renewable energy and state of the art efficiency, innovation of all kinds and a solid primary and secondary education,” restructure the criminal justice system, realign state and local government functions and streamline state government.

All those goals are possible “if we find the courage and summon the will to tackle our budget deficit head on and deal with it honestly and without purpose of evasion,” Brown said.

Brown also reiterated his call to the Legislature to place a five-year extension of tax increases initially adopted in 2009 on a special election ballot, eliminate redevelopment agencies and make cuts to the budget to eliminate the $25 billion deficit.

Brown has yet to publicly win any Republican support to get the two- thirds vote required to place the tax increase extension on the ballot and many mayors, including Los Angeles’ Antonio Villaraigosa, and other local government officials have opposed the plan to eliminate redevelopment agencies.