Gov. Jerry Brown painted a California that is vibrant, resilient and ready for a brighter future in his State of the State address last Wednesday.
That message was contrary to definitions of California as a failed state because of multi-billion-dollar deficits, cuts to education and social services, and the state Legislature's inability to unite on a solution.
"Those rumors have been greatly exaggerated," said Brown, whose remarks were embraced by Latino legislators but rejected by Republican lawmakers.
"I continue to see opportunity and potential where others are seeing pessimism," said Brown during his address in the Assembly chambers.
Brown saw signals of the state's recovery in:
A $20 billion budget deficit reduced to $5 billion.
Venture capitol investments by corporations like Intel, Oracle, Facebook and Hewlett-Packard that rose nearly 52 percent last year.
Scheduled groundbreaking of the state's high speed rail project that will generate thousands of jobs.
Brown, however, called for a combination of taxes and budget cuts.
"My goal from the very beginning and my number one priority was to balance the budget. In order to do so, I needed to make a combination of cuts across the board with significant reductions where it was most necessary along with keeping temporary tax increases. Both must be done to fix the deficit because it makes no sense to spend money that we don't have or to make cuts without keeping tax increases intact," he said.
Assemblymember V. Manuel Pérez, D-Indio, liked what he heard.
"The deficit was reduced, there was job growth, access to higher education because of the DREAM Act, the high speed rail project -- all of them are examples of growth. They are all positives," said Pérez.
Assemblymember Connie Conway, R-Visalia, however, thought otherwise.
"It seems to me like the only solution Brown has for addressing the deficit is higher taxes. To me, it is not a realistic approach to fixing the economy. Why continue to increase taxes? When will he stop? It doesn't seem fair to continue to force people in California to pay higher and higher taxes when so many of them are trying to survive in this economy," said Conway.
Hours before Brown's address, Conway and state Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, issued a joint statement addressing Brown's plan to seek $7 billion in new taxes this year.
"In order to generate new revenue for essential programs, the Legislature must make job creation a priority. It's great to hear our Democrat friends talk about jobs, but the new taxes and regulations they propose actually hurt the economy," said Huff.
Still, Brown insisted throughout his speech that the budget isn't his only priority topping the states long list of problems.
He plans to stimulate the economy by creating more jobs -- some in renewable energy and others in technology. Among them, the high speed rail project tops the list.
Assemblymember Henry T. Perea, D-Fresno, said that would help the Valley where the unemployment rate is nearly double the national figure..
"The high speed rail project was one of the most relevant parts of his speech," said Perea.
"It is a potential game changer for the Valley. There are hundreds of thousands of people out of work and this project will definitely be a huge job creator. People will also have the opportunity to get skilled training for some of the jobs that will require for the construction of the project. It truly has the potential to change the economic face of the valley," he said.
Valley colleague David Valadao, R-Hanford, though, thinks the high speed rail project is not all that good.
"Yes, the project is supposed to be a job creator but what about the families and businesses that have to uproot because the train is going to cut across their land, their house or their business? We all know that many of these people employ others to keep their businesses or their farms operating and the governor hasn't really discussed what is going to happen to these families. I personally don't think its fair," said Valadao.
Latino Legislative Caucus members saw positives for Latinos.
"Gov. Brown delivered a short but impressive speech and I believe he touched on the essential topics that are important to all Californians at the moment. He stated the facts and we have one of two choices--come together to bring positive changes to our communities or continue going down the spiral by disagreeing on everything. In the end, when bad choices are made, at the end of the day, Latinos and communities of color are the ones that end up getting hurt the most," said state Sen. Kevin De León, D-Los Ángeles.
One of Brown's most important bills signed was the state DREAM Act.
"These kids are the best of the best in this country -- there is no doubt. Passing the DREAM Act was one of the best moves the governor could have made because now we will have a large number of students not only from México but many Central American countries who will benefit and in the near future, they will contribute their skills and talents into our economy. We are all going to benefit in the long-run," added De León.
If there is anything missing from the governor's speech it was "figuring out how to reform and protect redevelopment agencies because they are important for rural communities to ensure they have the resources they need especially since many of them are severely underserved," said Pérez.
When Brown addressed the states water issues, both Republicans and Democrats were in agreement.
"I wish he would have talked more about it, but I support the water bond and other projects dealing with water," said Valadao.
"Agua es vida-- the signs are everywhere. In the valley, water is a big issue and its important," agreed Conway.
"Water and the high speed rail were two of the most important issues for me relating to the valley," said Perea.
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