It goes with out saying: Given the state of our world, I don’t think about there are various individuals exterior of those partitions ready on the phrases that will probably be stated right here tonight.

However it’s vital, because the Rabbi [Denise Eger] stated, for us to come back collectively, nonetheless.

Not simply to mark how far we’ve are available in our battle in opposition to COVID, but in addition to reaffirm our dedication to democratic establishments.

Because the individuals of Ukraine proceed to come back beneath assault — 2 million, by the way in which, 2 million already displaced from their properties, we take energy of their contagious braveness in addition to their willingness to battle for his or her freedom.

So tonight is a second, a second for us to mirror — not simply on what’s taking place abroad however on what it means to reside in a society the place elected leaders nonetheless settle our disagreements, by and huge, with civility and compromise.

How we derive energy from a authorities that displays the individuals we signify.

Give it some thought: Our [Assembly] speaker, son of working-class mother and father and grandson of Mexican immigrants. He labored his method by California’s public schooling system, incomes a PhD from UC Riverside. Now dedicated to making sure each baby has entry to early studying.

Our [state Senate] professional tem, born in poverty in Virginia. She got here to California and have become a champion for housing and equal rights for all. The primary overtly homosexual girl to steer each the Meeting and state Senate.

Our [California Supreme Court] chief justice, public college graduate. Descendant of migrant farmworkers, talking out in opposition to earnings inequality and tackling the price of justice for individuals in poverty.

And take our constitutional officers right here tonight — take into consideration this — [they] embrace the daughter of an Arkansas sharecropper, an immigrant from the Philippines, the daughters of fogeys born in China and Greece, one raised by a trainer from Panama, and the proud son of undocumented Mexican immigrants.

Thanks, all, on your outstanding service to our state.

California does democracy like nowhere else on the planet. And no different place gives alternative to so many from so many various backgrounds. However we can’t take our democracy as a right.

Authoritarian and intolerant impulses aren’t simply rising abroad. They’ve been echoing right here at dwelling for a while. Whereas we could not have a strongman, fairly actually, waging battle in our nation, we’re tormented by brokers of a nationwide anger machine, fueling division, weaponizing grievance.

Highly effective forces and loud voices — stoking concern and searching for to divide us, weakening the establishments of our democracy.

Relying on complacency to erode voting rights, scapegoating weak minorities.

Conjuring conspiracies and selling otherness.

Actively exploiting the “anger of the anxious.”

Anger, by the way in which, that finds a house when individuals really feel understandably disconnected from one another and our collective future, when that future doesn’t look as brilliant because the previous, making them extra prone to the siren calls of these attempting to tear us aside.

Foundationally, this can be a risk we should all face, collectively, and show there’s a greater method — a California Method — ahead.

The California Method means rejecting previous binaries and discovering new options to huge issues.

For instance, the speaker was speaking about local weather coverage. California has no friends.

For years, we’ve set the principles, and others have adopted. Over time, we’ve discovered we will’t clear up huge issues like local weather change situationally with short-term considering.

Look, nobody’s naïve in regards to the second we’re residing in with excessive gasoline costs and the geopolitical uncertainty that’s fueling them.

In January, we proposed a pause for the gasoline tax enhance.

Now it’s clear we’ve to go farther.

And that’s why — working with legislative management — I’ll be submitting a proposal to place a refund within the pockets of Californians to handle rising gasoline costs.

However I need to make this clear: At a time after we’ve been heating up and burning up, one factor we can’t do is repeat the errors of the previous by embracing polluters, drilling much more oil — which solely results in much more excessive climate, extra excessive drought and extra wildfire.

What extra proof? What extra proof do we’d like than our personal state?

Simply take into consideration the previous few years. We’ve seen entire communities almost wiped off the map.

Greenville. Paradise. Grizzly Flats.

What number of extra are we keen to sacrifice? We should be preventing polluters, not bolstering them. And within the means of doing so, releasing us as soon as and for all from the grasp of petro-dictators.

This dialog can’t simply be about provide, can’t simply be about oil provide. Every day life nonetheless calls for an excessive amount of fossil gas.

That, too, has to vary, underscoring the significance of accelerating California’s management in clear know-how. This isn’t only a nationwide safety and an environmental justice crucial — clear power is that this technology’s biggest financial alternative.

An ideal instance, by the way in which, an ideal instance of that, is our dominance in electrical automobile gross sales and manufacturing.

It was, by the way in which, California insurance policies that created this market.

Now we’ve the chance to increase this management, to safe a vital element of the availability chain for batteries, by tapping one of many world’s largest lithium reserves — proper right here in California, in Imperial Valley. And take into account this: our nation-leading local weather investments — some $38 billion — will be sure that different improvements will certainly comply with, not by re-creating the twentieth century, by extracting extra oil, however by extracting new concepts, drilling for brand spanking new expertise by operating our financial system on a carbon-free engine.

That’s the California Method.

Now in relation to the financial system, California is unmatched. We dominate.

We dominate in analysis, innovation, entrepreneurialism, enterprise capital — and stay the world’s fifth-largest financial system. Our GDP development? Our GDP development has constantly outpaced not solely the remainder of the nation — however most different giant, western democracies. Almost one million new jobs within the final 12 months. Take into consideration this: In December alone, 25 p.c of America’s jobs had been created proper right here in California, one million new jobs simply within the final 12 months.

Extra new enterprise begins throughout the worst of the pandemic than Texas and Florida mixed.

However you already know what makes us completely different from these states — moreover the liberty of a girl’s proper to decide on? It’s that as our companies develop, we don’t depart our employees behind.

Simply take into account what we did final yr for the center class right here in our state. We despatched $12 billion again — the most important state tax rebate in American historical past.

However we didn’t cease there. We didn’t cease there.

We raised the minimal wage. We elevated paid sick depart. We supplied extra paid household depart.

We expanded baby care to assist working mother and father.

And this yr, along with your assist, we are going to do one thing no different state in America has carried out — present well being for all, no matter immigration standing.

That’s the California Method.

And talking of not leaving individuals behind, no state, no state, took bolder steps to guard public well being and human life over the past two years.

Our lockdowns, distressing as they had been, saved lives. Our masks mandates saved lives. Your selections saved lives. California skilled far decrease COVID dying charges than every other giant state. Fewer than Texas, Ohio, fewer than Florida — 35 p.c fewer, to be precise.

However, conscious, even with three quarters of Californians being totally vaccinated, we’re conscious that we can’t let our guard down.

That’s why simply final month, we put out our “SMARTER Plan” — the nation’s first blueprint to remain a step forward of future variants and seasonal surges.

And I simply need to thanks, thank all of you. Thanks members of this Legislature for all you probably did these previous two years to assist preserve us secure.

However there’s one other disaster — all too acquainted, referenced only a second in the past. And that’s the disaster of homelessness, which we all know has worsened over the past decade, not solely right here in California, however throughout the nation.

It was just some years in the past, California lacked any complete technique. No accountability and no significant state sources to unravel the issue. However that’s all modified.

In simply the previous three years, we not solely have a complete plan, we’re additionally requiring new accountability and offering unprecedented investments for cities and counties on the entrance traces.

And whereas we’ve moved a file 58,000 individuals off the streets — 58,000 for the reason that starting of the pandemic — we acknowledge, all of us acknowledge, we’ve extra to do — notably to handle what’s taking place on our sidewalks, reaching individuals who want essentially the most assist.

These with schizophrenia spectrum and psychosis problems, many self-medicating with medicine or alcohol addictions.

That’s exactly what our encampment decision grants, and our new Care Court docket, search to handle.

Getting individuals off the streets and out of tents and into housing and remedy is crucial, clearly important, to creating our streets secure for everybody.

However public security actually isn’t nearly homelessness.

Bobby Kennedy, simply six weeks earlier than he was killed by an murderer’s bullet, reminded us that the well being of a society relies on the flexibility of individuals to stroll their very own streets in security. To not be frightened into isolation.

“A nation,” he stated, “which surrenders to crime — whether or not by indifference or heavy-handed repression, is a society which has resigned itself to failure.”

Our strategy is to be neither detached to the realities of the current day, nor revert to the heavy-handed insurance policies which have marked the failures of the previous. We’re funding native regulation enforcement and prosecutors to analyze and clear up extra crime. We’re bolstering the legal professional common’s workplace, prosecuting organized theft rings and getting unlawful weapons off the streets.

However we’re additionally, we’re additionally investing a whole bunch of tens of millions in new packages to deal with the basis causes of crime, doubling down on confirmed violence prevention packages.

That’s the California Method.

After all, to deal with any root trigger, we have to speak about schooling. And I’m not speaking about that model of schooling reform being promoted in some states, the place they’re banning — fairly actually, you possibly can’t make this up, they’re banning books. The place you possibly can sue your historical past trainer for instructing historical past and the place you possibly can’t say even the phrase “homosexual.”

I’m speaking about actual transformation of our public schooling system, like we’re doing proper right here within the state of California. By creating selections — actual selections — for folks and unprecedented assist for his or her children.

A complete new grade, transitional kindergarten, for all: 9 hours of enrichment a day with true, common before- and after-school packages. Expanded summer time college. Common, nutritious meals, tens of millions of recent baby financial savings accounts and free group school.

That’s the California Method.

Look, I feel all of us right here can at the very least agree: individuals have at all times appeared to California for inspiration.

Now, within the midst of a lot turmoil with stacking of stresses and dramatic social and financial change, California is doing what we’ve carried out for generations: lighting out [for] the territory forward of the remaining, increasing the horizon of what’s doable.

We all know, we all know, that authorities can’t be your complete resolution. However we additionally know that authorities has at all times been a part of the answer.

By making a platform for individuals, and the personal sector, to thrive.

And as [Thomas] Friedman stated — we’ve a components, a components for fulfillment setting guidelines for risk-taking, not recklessness.

Infrastructure, analysis and growth, investing in our conveyor belt for expertise, the best system of upper schooling wherever on the planet: our CSUs, UCs and group faculties. And making certain society offers a hand up when individuals need assistance, sustaining, sustaining our pro-immigrant insurance policies and welcoming refugees from around the globe.

These are all California values.

Embracing variety, but in addition searching for widespread floor. Pursuing larger connectedness.

Not exploiting division with performative politics and memes of the second, however by unifying in direction of widespread goal.

Inviting extra individuals, with various views, from completely different backgrounds — “to try, to hunt, to seek out, to not yield” — all into the battle for a greater California.

Thanks, all, very, very a lot. Thanks for the privilege of your time tonight.