Brown draws some clear lines for California
Gov. Jerry Brown didn’t need a teleprompter to give his sixth State of the State speech on Tuesday. The often cantankerous but always cerebral governor appeared to be giving this speech as much from the heart.
Gov. Brown celebrated California’s diversity, dedication to environmental protection and the state’s enormous economic muscle. Then he vowed to protect the state’s unique priorities and sensibilities from any challenge.
Critiquing “blatant attacks on science” and “assertion of ‘alternative facts,’ whatever those are,” Brown praised bipartisanship, truth and civility. He never uttered the name Donald J. Trump, but it was clear to whom Brown was referring. Brown’s speech stood in contrast to a president who, five days into his term, has dissembled and polarized the nation like none before him.
Perhaps taking his cue from the inspirational Women’s Marches that swept the nation on Saturday, Brown hit the right tone in a punchy, 15-minute address. Ever eclectic, Brown departed from his usual Latin and Thomas Merton, leaning instead on Abraham Lincoln’s “better angels” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”
While the speech was invigorating to this massively blue state, it could have said more. There was no governmental road map for the coming year, as is common in such speeches. Instead, Brown laid down boundaries. Returning to the reality of global warming and the disinformation many scientists see already emanating from the Trump administration, he pointedly reminded that “whatever they do in Washington, they can’t change the facts.”
He pledged California will continue to lead the fight against climate change – a fight in which the Trump administration is clearly taking the other side.
Brown pointed to the dangers of Congress and Trump – again, without mentioning them – altering the Affordable Care Act. California has embraced health-care reform, he noted, and millions of our state’s residents – including 400,000 in the Central Valley – rely on the program. The loss of federal money, if no replacement is offered, could devastate California’s budget.
The governor cited key state laws he has signed, which federal laws could preempt – including protections for law-abiding undocumented immigrants, including equal access to higher education for kids who work hard: “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.”
Brown welcomed Trump’s promise to spend on infrastructure, including roads, tunnels, and even a dam. On that point, he pointed to Republicans and encouraged them to cheer – which they did.
Brown invoked last weekend’s massive yet peaceful marches, citing their “vast and inspiring fervor.” He pointed out, “Democracy doesn’t come from the top; it starts and spreads in the hearts of the people.”
Brown’s audience included the most ethnically diverse leadership of any state anywhere. Sons, daughters and grandchildren of immigrants hold most of California’s top offices.
Yes, we would like to have heard more specifics about how the governor intends to rebuild our roads, spur more home construction and make certain that higher education remains an affordable option for every person. But, in a state that preferred Hillary Clinton over Trump by 2-to-1 margin, reassuring the state’s citizens that their priorities will not be ignored was more important. Speeches from the heart, and the head of a wisened politician, always are.
This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Brown draws some clear lines for California."