SACRAMENTO — Just four days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday delivered a rousing speech that rallied Californians in his annual State of the State address to persevere through uncertain times.
“California is not turning back. Not now, not ever,” he said to a standing ovation. “His truth is marching on.”
The speech holds special significance this year in a bluer-than-blue state where Democratic leaders have been preparing for a protracted war with Washington — and bracing for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act and challenges to many of the Golden State’s progressive policies, from environmental regulations to immigration.
Brown began his speech by flexing California’s muscles, touting the state’s sheer size and economic power and noting that one in eight Americans lives here — the main reason Hillary Clinton beat Trump by nearly 3 million votes in the popular count despite Trump’s victory in the electoral college.
“When California does well, America does well. When California hurts, America hurts,” he said. “And when we defend California, we defend America.”
Alluding to the presidential election, the governor warned residents that the future — including the state’s economic position — was uncertain as a result.
“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,” he said. “I promise you both.”
The four-term governor noted that one in every eight Americans lives in California, which he said is home to the world’s sixth most-powerful economy.
More than 2 million undocumented immigrants are believed to live in California, and Trump campaigned on a promise to deport those who are in the U.S. illegally. Saying immigrants “helped create the wealth and dynamism of this state from the very beginning,” Brown conceded that the Washington sets immigration policy.
“But as a state we can and have had a role to play,” he said. … “Let me be clear: we will defend everybody – every man, woman and child – who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state.”
In his remarks, Brown didn’t mention Trump by name. “While no one knows what the new leaders will actually do, there are signs that are disturbing,” he said.
“We have seen the bald assertion of ‘alternative facts’ – whatever those are. We have heard the blatant attacks on science. Familiar signposts of our democracy – truth, civility, working together – have been obscured or swept aside.”
The governor did praise Trump’s plan to invest in new infrastructure.
“Amen to that brother!” Brown said. “And in this we can all work together – here in Sacramento and in Washington as well.”
He also called for civility and extended an olive branch to state GOP lawmakers, who lost influence when Democrats regained their legislative supermajority last November.
“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.”
At least until Tuesday, the governor had been more cautious in his post-election commentary than many other Sacramento Democrats. Still, he picked an attorney general nominee he described as “battle-tested” to protect California’s policies. Xavier Becerra — a former Southern California congressman and Stanford alum — was sworn in Tuesday to replace Kamala Harris, who was elected to the U.S. Senate to replace Barbara Boxer. Brown also delivered an instantly famous line to 3,000 scientists last month, vowing that California will “launch our own damn satellite” if Trump turns off satellites collecting data on climate change, as some environmentalists fear.
On Tuesday, Brown returned to the climate change theme, saying, “We cannot fall back and give in to the climate deniers. … We need to live in the truth.”
Digging into history as he often does to drive home his point, Brown quoted “Hugo Grotius, the famous Dutch jurist (who) said long ago, ‘Even God cannot cause two times two not to make four.’”
The specter of losing billions in federal funding for health care if the Affordable Care Act is gutted without a solid law to replace it looms large over the state. Experts estimate that California relies on $20 billion or more per year in federal funding for private insurance subsidies and greatly expanded Medi-Cal coverage. Congress has pledged to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, but the Republicans haven’t united behind its replacement.
Brown on Tuesday said that if federal support were “taken away, our state budget would be directly affected, possibly devastated.”
He also drew applause with support for Planned Parenthood, a reproductive health organization that congressional Republicans have vowed to strip of federal funding because it performs abortions — a line that was not in his prepared remarks.
But California has some homemade problems with which to contend as well — chiefly, a budget shortfall that only recently came to light because of Medi-Cal budgeting errors totaling roughly $1.8 billion.
The governor announced a shortfall of $1.6 billion in his January budget proposal for 2017-18, red ink he blamed on lower-than-expected revenue and higher-than-expected Medi-Cal costs. Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer said last week that budget mistakes totaling $1.8 billion — “a straight-up error in calculation” — double-counted savings in the state’s Coordinated Care Initiative.
The possibility of other errors in such a complicated budget is possible, Palmer said, but quickly added: “We don’t anticipate anything else of this magnitude — certainly not.”
Some lawmakers noted that Brown’s speech was short on policy details, from tax reform to affordable housing. Instead, the address looked back at the accomplishments of the past seven years — a list that included minimum-wage increases and climate-change victories. But, lawmakers said, it didn’t lay out many specific proposals for the future besides staying the course.
But Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson, Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, appreciated the contrast between Sacramento and Washington, DC.
“I commend the Governor on his forward thinking and willingness to defend California’s landmark accomplishments from those who seek to undermine us,” he said. “Although we have real challenges here at home, we cannot turn a blind eye to what may come from Washington. We have a profound responsibility to protect and safeguard our values, and a moral imperative to act in the best interest of all Californians.”
Brown’s drew a standing ovation when he noted the bipartisan collaboration of the Legislature and urged the lawmakers before him to “look for new ways to work beyond party and act as Californians first.”
“Republicans represent real Californians too,” he said.
The governor also noted that Trump had proposed a $1 trillion investment in public works. “And I say: Amen to that, man! Amen to that!” Brown said.
But some Republicans worried his speech continued to pit California against Washington.
“The bottom line is California has promised too many benefits to too many people,” said Assemblyman Travis Allen, a Republican from Huntington Beach. “Picking fights with the new Trump administration will do nothing to solve that problem. California has a lot to lose with this inflammatory rhetoric.”
In a news release, Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, R-Big Bear Lake, said he was “disappointed with the tone of the governor’s speech, and I feel his defensive posture towards the new administration is premature at best.”
Obernolte said he was encouraged to hear Brown talk of bipartisanship, a sentiment echoed by state Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula.
“Now is not the time to pick petty partisan fights that continue to divide our state,” Stone said in a news release.
Citing infrastructure, water storage and climate change, Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, applauded the governor’s challenge.
“The Governor made clear that California won’t back down on critical issues like addressing climate change, providing affordable health care, and protecting immigrants,” he said. “We need to defend the progress we’ve made in recent years and continue moving in the right direction.”
But there was bipartisan consensus on one point: The address was powerful. Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes, of Yucca Valley, said it was “fantastic,” one of Brown’s best — though he disagreed with the message.
It was “vintage, classic Brown,” said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco. “It was electrifying.”
Jeff Horseman and Dave Faries contributed to this report
