In a statement released Tuesday evening, Brown said "we're not there yet."  Those are his first public comments during a critical week of budget negotiations.  The constitutional deadline for the legislature to approve a spending plan is Friday at midnight.

Democrats are taking procedural steps to move their budget proposal through the legislature in case they can't reach a deal with the governor by then.  Their spending plan rejects $2 billion in cuts Brown is calling for to welfare, child care, in-home care and college financial aid.

California's budget deficit is $16 billion.