Watch Video Replay of Gov. Brown's State of State Speech, Republican Response

Update 12:45 p.m.: Here is the full text of Brown’s prepared remarks. Video here. Brown prefaced his speech by taking a shot at Senate Minority Leader Bob Dutton and Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, whose video response to Brown’s speech was posted well in advance of the speech itself.

“I noticed that Connie (Conway) and Mr. Huff put out their critique of my speech 24 hours ago,” Brown said. “Now I’ll let you in on a little secret: My speech wasn’t finished 24 hours ago. I do want to say — I didn’t know you were psychics and that you possessed the power of precognition and clairvoyance. After the speech I want to check with you on some stock tips.”

Here’s that Republican response in text and video. Without casting any judgment whatsoever on the content of the message, I will say that the video’s production values have rendered its effect ever so slightly comparable to that of a late-night commercial in which a husband and wife team have pluckily though perhaps unwisely taken to the airwaves in an attempt to sell limited-edition gold coins.

Update Thursday: Here’s John Myers’ report on the speech.

If there’s one takeaway from Governor Jerry Brown’s 2012 State of the State address, it may be this: Brown faces the unique task this year of preaching both boldness and austerity… all at the same time.

The governor’s roughly 20 minute speech before a joint session of the Legislature was a creative cocktail that blended a defense of his tax plan, the state’s need for big thinking, and — at times, it seemed — the very reputation of his native California. Full post

Also online: KQED’s special State of the State coverage, in which Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers was joined by Steve Maviglio, former press secretary to Gov. Gray Davis; Joshua Pechthalt, president of the California Federation of Teachers; John Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Association; State Senator Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel); Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Dana Point); KQED education reporter Ana Tintocalis; and Marisa Lagos, political reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Update 2:25 p.m. Craig Miller of our Climate Watch blog has a report on the environmental aspects of Brown’s speech:

Showing none of the climate timidity that has overtaken national politics, Brown declared that, “fossil fuels, particularly foreign oil, create ever rising costs to our economy and to our health.” By contrast, President Obama avoided using the word “climate” even once in last year’s State of the Union message, and gave global warming only the slightest nod in a recent address to staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency.

While job creation was at the top of Brown’s eight-point list of New Year’s resolutions, it was quickly followed by:

• Build renewable energy
• Reduce pollution and greenhouse gasses
• Launch the nation’s only high-speed rail system
• Reach agreement on a plan to fix the Delta

Referring to a long-awaited long-term management plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Brown went as far as attaching a timeline, saying, “By this summer we should have the basic elements of the project we need to build.” More than 20 million Californians depend, to some degree, on the Delta for water.

While not adding too much detail, Brown warned Californians of what lies ahead:

“This is an enormous project. It will ensure water for 25 million Californians and for millions of acres of farmland as well a hundred thousand acres of new habitat for spawning fish and other wildlife. To get it done will require time, political will and countless permits from state and federal agencies. I invite your collaboration and constructive engagement.”

Brown cited California’s leadership in, “encouraging electric vehicles and reducing pollution and greenhouse gases,” but — as was the case at his one-day climate conference in December — passed on the opportunity to announce any major new initiatives.

Brown has set a personal goal of “20,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2020,” though that remains a moral challenge, not a legal mandate. California law now requires utilities to derive a third of their electricity purchases from renewables by the same date. “I can tell you we are on track to meet that goal and substantially exceed it,” said Brown.

The Governor cited a recent cooperative arrangement struck with the federal Department of the Interior for getting projects sited, and noted that, “In the last two years alone, California has permitted over 16,000 megawatts of solar, wind and geothermal energy projects.”

Original post

Jerry Brown is giving his second (this time around as governor) State of the State address today.

Watch or listen live:

• KQED News – live radio coverage and analysis

I don’t know how much anticipation there was about the event, but Republicans, at least, literally couldn’t wait. From the Sacramento Bee:

A pre-taped video of Conway and Senate GOP leader Bob Huff responding to Brown’s address was posted online today via the Senate Republican Caucus’ Vimeo channel, more than 16 hours before Brown is scheduled to deliver the address.

Brown’s office, which has been mum on what the governor plans to discuss, wasn’t too impressed by the Republicans’ preview.

“Zzzz,” tweeted Brown spokesman Gil Duran, “Republicans post tired talking points in taped ‘pre-sponse’ to a speech that has not yet been given.”

Conway spokeswoman Sabrina Lockhart said it has become standard protocol for the GOP leaders to record a reaction before the speech because of time constraints and press deadlines, noting that in some years the response has been released before the speech on purpose.

KQED’s John Myers and others will be tweeting the speech live. Click on the play button below to activate the feed…