Governor Brown Focuses on Cementing Legacy After Midterm Elections

Following Tuesdays elections, Governor Jerry Brown held a press conference yesterday evening where he spoke on many topics that currently surround California politics.

One of the first things mentioned was Brown’s satisfaction and approval of California voters deciding to vote down Proposition 6. The Proposition would have overturned the current tax of 12 cents a gallon for gasoline and 20 cents for diesel. The law also raised car registration fees anywhere from $25 to $175 depending on a car’s value. The tax is used on public infrastructure projects throughout the state including roads, bridges and tunnels.

Championed by the Governor himself just over one year ago, Brown told reporters “It’s a real victory because it’s a common endeavor of Californians building their future,” before adding “so, I think it contrasts with other things that happened around the country.”

During the meeting Brown also brought up the hyper-partisan divide the country has found itself in saying “The imperative going forward is to find a common pathway that recognizes, acknowledges and celebrates we are one nation, and we have to pull together.” Brown continued, “and that’s the challenge going forward. Fragmentation, division is not a pathway to greatness, but rather a formula for discord, acrimony and weakening of democracy.”

Although Brown remained relatively uninvolved in the political front of California’s midterm elections, he did appear once during a final ad campaign by prop 6 when the California Globe noted they “brought out the big guns.”

Brown mentioned he didn’t want to “dilute” his effort for Prop 6 nor any Democratic campaigns as he felt confident in other California leader’s ability to get it passed.

Perhaps a much more center-leaning Democrat compared to what many Republicans originally feared, Brown vetoed many bills over his tenure that came as a shock to his own party. Whether it was denying gun show shutdowns or rejecting non-citizen voting he didn’t bow to the Legislature’s every desire.

Despite this, Brown certainly didn’t hold back whenever he got the chance to attack the president. Which is why it was interesting when he said “I am interested in the big stuff. And the big stuff is we can wipe our stuff out with nukes or a deteriorating climate… I would rather focus on the creativity and unique opportunities and needs of California, as opposed to defining everything in relationship to the President.”

He will be leaving current Lt. Governor and Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom with nearly $14 billion dollars in the saving bank. The reserve money is part of the largest budget net in almost 20 years.