Jerry Brown State Of The State:'A Crisis That Is Real And Unprecedented'

State Of The State: 'A Crisis That Is Real And Unprecedented'

Gov. Jerry Brown told lawmakers Monday that "it would be unconscionable" not to let voters decide whether to pay more taxes to help balance the budget, using his first State of the State address as California's 39th governor to press Republicans to agree to a special election.

Invoking the democracy movements in North Africa to bolster his bid that the people be heard, Brown warned GOP lawmakers against impeding a referendum that would allow voters to sanction -- or refuse -- extended income, sales and car levies to help close a $25-billion budget shortfall.

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