Post date: Jan 03, 2011 7:22:56 PM
California's Governor-elect prepares to be sworn in.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES. JUNE 2, 1992) NBC - No stranger to California politics, Jerry Brown is due to be sworn in as the American state's governor on Monday (January 3).
Brown, a Democrat, has already served two terms as California governor from 1975 -1983 and will begin his third term on Monday night, replacing Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.Brown has made more than one unsuccessful bid to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency, and in 1992 he lost out in the California primary elections to Bill Clinton.
During his pervious terms as California governor, Brown worked closely with the legendary founder of the United Farm Workers' Union, Cesar Chavez, who fought for the rights of impoverished field workers and drew attention to his cause by going on hunger strike.
California was once an economic engine of U.S. prosperity and the ultimate symbol of The American Dream. But now Brown takes over a state that has a broken image. Its $1.7 trillion economy is clawing its way out of a recession that crippled its housing market, sent unemployment marching into double digits and depleted its coffers.
One of Brown's first tasks will be to set out a new budget.
While the U.S. economy is showing signs of life, millions of Americans are still out of work, and some newly elected or re-elected governors are keeping their inaugural parties simple. In California, Jerry Brown plans a free reception at the California State Railroad Museum.