Gov. Brown Will Open CA Trade Office in China, Touts High-Speed Rail

Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday called for stronger ties between California and China, announcing he'll lead a trade and investment trip to that country in April and will open a trade office in Shanghai.

The announcement came during Brown's State of the State Address, where he touted the strength of California's rebounding economy, promised fiscal discipline with Proposition 30 funding and compared high-speed rail to "The Little Engine That Could."

"Two years ago they were writing our obituary," Brown said. "Well, it didn't happen. California is back, our budget is balanced and we're on the move."

Brown brought up some of the same points mentioned during his budget announcement two weeks ago–namely that funding from the recently approved Proposition 30 must be spent wisely and that poor schools deserve more supplemental funding than those in well-off areas.

"Equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice," Brown said to applause from the legislators in attendance.

Assemblyman Richard Gordon praised the work done by the governor and noted how Prop 30 helped stabilized the economy and provide opportunities to students at all levels of education. Though he acknowledges that plenty of work remains to be done.

"Today truly marks a turning point for California. Under Governor Brown’s leadership, the state has paid down debt, created reserve funds, and solved much of the structural deficit problems," said Gordon. "This is leaps and bounds from where we were just two years ago when I first took office and the state faced a $26 billion budget deficit."

On the topic of high-speed rail, Brown described some of the first sections of track that will be built, and said construction will "finally" start this year.

"Yes it's bold, but so is everything about California," he said, noting similar high-speed rail systems in other countries.

Brown also called for a system of two 30-mile-long, 40-foot-wide tunnels underneath the Delta, designed to improve ecology and ease water supply south.

He said the project would cost about $14 billion, the same as the London Olympics, but would have a lasting benefit on the state.

A transcript of Brown's speech can be viewed on the state's website here.

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