H.D. Palmer was on Governor Schwarzenegger's transition team in 2003 - and is now with the Department of Finance.  He says it's not a simple process:

"You need computers, you need phones, you need office supplies, you need security.  All of those things and more are part and parcel of having to shut down a transition operation and then having to shut it down in weeks."

Palmer says Governor-elect Brown should decide how to address the state's 25 billion dollar deficit by mid-December.  That will give the Finance Department enough time to draft a proposal.

For now, Brown's in a lot of meetings, like this recent one where he was briefed on the education budget.  Palmer says there's a lot of preparation for the Governor-elect - and the finance department:

"Our staff has prepared large three-ring binders that cover a number of the key issues in any areas."