Jerry Brown made history when he was sworn in for his fourth term as governor of California on January 5, 2015 and delivered his inaugural address in the Assembly Chambers.

In his inaugural address to the Legislature, the Governor challenged the state to set more environmental protections for 2030 and beyond. He proposed that in the next 15 years the state increase its renewable electricity sources from one-third to 50 percent, reduce petroleum use in vehicles by 50 percent, and double the efficiency of existing buildings. These new goals would be on top of climate change targets the state is already working toward. By 2020, California is supposed to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels. The state must also get a third of its electricity from renewable sources.

The Governor said he was proud to report that, as a result of the passage of the water bond, by the end of the year, California will be investing in long overdue water projects.

The Governor released his 2015-16 State Budget on January 9, 2015 to reflect the priorities he laid out in his inaugural address.  His Budget includes the first $532 million in expenditures from the Proposition 1 water bond to continue the implementation of the Water Action Plan, the administration’s five-year roadmap towards sustainable water management. Additionally, the Budget includes the last $1.1 billion in spending from the 2006 flood bond to bolster the state’s protection from floods. 

Further, Brown continues to push the highly controversial $68 billion high speed rail project. After receiving initial federal funding, the project faces a blackout from the Republican-dominated House of Representatives but Brown has secured a source of ongoing state funds from the state's cap-and-trade pollution fees.  Specifically, his budget proposes $1 billion in cap-and-trade expenditures for the state’s continuing investments in low-carbon transportation, sustainable communities, energy efficiency, urban forests and high-speed rail.

The Legislature will begin their Budget Subcommittee meetings on the Governor’s proposal.  The Governor will release a revise of his Budget in May.

CLFP will be working closely with the Brown Administration and the Legislature on the Governor’s policy and Budget proposals.

Article written by Trudi Hughes, CLFP Government Affairs Director