Last week was a rough one for California Governor Jerry Brown. For the first time in years, one of the his top legislative priorities suffered a defeat. SB350 would have cut the fuel usage of California vehicles in half over the next 15 years, but it faced stiff opposition from oil companies and moderate Democrats in the Assembly. Ultimately the measure did move forward but not until Brown and Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon removed the controversial fuels provision from the bill.
While Brown vows to press on with his effort to enact the fuel standard and more aggressive greenhouse gas goals, the defeat is a political setback for the four-term governor. Brown also failed to reach deals with lawmakers involving new revenue for Medi-Cal and California's crumbling roads. For analysis and insight on the close of the legislative session, and on Brown's agenda moving forward, we spoke with Ben Adler, Capitol Bureau Chief for Capital Public Radio in Sacramento.