Capitol Alert: Jerry Brown lauds California's 'comeback' in State of the State speech

Gov. Jerry Brown said today that California is enjoying a significant 'comeback,' with a budget surplus and am improving economy.

'What a comeback it is,' he told a joint session of the Legislature. 'This year, California has a lot to be proud of.'

Brown is delivering the final State of the State address of his third term. The 75-year-old Democrat is widely expected to seek re-election, and the speech will serve to preview his campaign.

Brown's speeches have grown longer and more expansive over the course of his term, as he has broadened his focus from the budget in 2011 and 2012 to include water, the environment and high-speed rail.

Brown has made construction of a $68 billion high-speed rail system a priority of his administration, despite fierce opposition from Republicans. Brown is also seeking to push forward his $25 billion plan to build two tunnels to divert water around the Delta to the south.

A drought emergency Brown announced last week has only heightened controversy around that plan.

Brown, governor before from 1975 to 1983, comes into the speech riding the highest public approval rating of his third term. He has not yet said if he will seek re-election, but he has raised millions of dollars for the effort and is the overwhelming favorite in the race.

Following years of difficult budget conditions at the Capitol, Brown this month proposed a $154.9 billion spending plan that includes modest increases for social services and schools, but also billions of dollars to address long-term debt.

He used the budget to promote his policies in recent weeks, soaking up attention in the state's largest media markets, including Los Angeles, and in a rare swing through the San Joaquin Valley.

'Look, incumbency is a powerful tool in California,' said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and former speechwriter for Gov. Pete Wilson. 'You're going to see that on display.'

Brown writes his speeches himself and has been contemplating today's address for more than a month. He said in December that he was reading Josiah Royce, the philosopher born in Grass Valley in the 1800s, paying special attention to his philosophy of loyalty.

The speech is Brown's 11th State of the State address. Brown, who surpassed Earl Warren as California's longest-serving governor last year, did not deliver a State of the State speech in 1975, his first year in office.