Update: 9:38 a.m.

Brown also talked of his support for two tunnels in the Delta to funnel water from the north part of the state to the south.

He compared the expensive high speed rail project to the little engine that could, saying "I think I can, I think I can."

Brown also touched on climate change, applauding the progress that California has made over the past three decades in efforts to reduce electricity consumption as well as efficiency standards for building and appliances.  Brown also praised the state's renewable energy goals.

Governor Brown's speech ran just over 24 minutes. That's a bit shorter than last year's. 

 

Governor Brown notably doesn't use a teleprompter, unlike many of his predecessors, and he's really reading from this one, looking down quite a bit.

He also writes his own speeches, a departure from other Governors. 

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In his speech, Governor Brown has also called for a special session to deal with the issues involved in implementing the federal Affordable Care Act, and promised a trade mission to China.  Brown also recommends changing the Enterprise Zone Program and the Jobs Hiring Credit, saying both are not working. He also says California should "rethink" and "streamline" the Environmental Quality Act, which is a controversial subject.

 

Brown has dedicated a large section of the speech to the reasons change is needed in the education system.  "We seem to think that education is a thing - like a vaccine - that can be designed from afar and simply injected into our children." Brown quotes William Butler Yeats, saying "education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire."

Brown also talks about more local control of education, and change the way schools are funded, saying "equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice."

Additionally, the Governor says tuition increases for UC, CSU and community colleges are not the answer. There was major applause after Brown said "I will not let the students become the default financiers of our colleges and universities."

 

So far, during his State of the State Address, Governor Jerry Brown has quoted the bible, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Franklin Roosevelt and King Charles III, and given a short lesson on the history of California.

Brown says this generation of Californians "has a rendezvous with destiny."

 

California Governor Jerry Brown says California did the impossible in bringing the budget back into balance.  In his State of the State Address, Brown called the budget "solid" and "enduring," and pledged "by God, we will preserve and keep it that way for years to come."

He saluted numerous groups for their part in the success, including legislators, businesses, unions, teachers, students and citizens.

After a great deal of applause, Brown joked "let's not applaud too much," saying that it was his longest speech yet.