The California State Legislature returned to session this week, beginning with the unprecedented fourth-term swearing in of Governor Jerry Brown. Following the ceremony, Governor Brown delivered his State-of-the-State address, highlighting his goals for the year and his final term in office. Among those referenced include ramping up efforts to curb climate change, continuing efforts to improve fiscal responsibility by paying down the State’s debt, as well as various infrastructure objectives, including a continued push for both the Delta tunnels and high-speed rail projects. The State-of-the-State in its entirety can be accessed here.
The flurry of activity this week was capped off with the release of the Governor’s 2015-16 proposed Budget this morning, where the Administration outlines the goals of the State-of-the-State and other key policy objectives in further detail. RCRC’s Governmental Affairs staff is currently analyzing the Governor’s 2015-16 proposed Budget, and will be distributing The Rural Rundown later today, highlighting specific items of interest to rural counties.