Gov. Jerry Brown Casts Ballot

Accompanied by his wife Anne Gust and his Welsh corgi Sutter, Gov. Jerry Brown came to the Alameda County Registrar of Voter’s office in Oakland Thursday to cast his ballot in the Nov. 4 election.

Speaking to a large group of reporters after he voted, Brown said the state’s long ballot is “relatively complicated” so his message to California residents is to “vote early.” It took Brown about 10 minutes to fill out his ballot as reporters watched patiently.

In honor of the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series, Brown wore an orange tie, Gust wore an orange sweater and Sutter wore an orange collar.

Brown, who was born in San Francisco and lived there for much of his life, said, “I’m quite proud of the Giants but I also want Oakland to come back,” referring to the Oakland A’s. Brown moved to Oakland in the 1990s, served as the city’s mayor from 1999 to 2007 and still lives in the city when he’s not in Sacramento.

Brown said “I feel good” when asked about his chances against Republican Neel Kashkari in the election, but said that he doesn’t want to assume anything at this point.

Brown said California was in bad shape when he took office but he said, “We’ve come back” in his four years in office. He said, “We’re not perfect or utopia but we’re very strong.”

Brown told reporters that if he’s re-elected, “I guarantee the next four years will be exciting and you will have lots to write about.” Brown is seeking an unprecedented fourth term as California’s governor. He served for two terms from January 1975 through January 1983 and was elected to a third term in 2010.

But he said he still won’t be able to ignore political considerations and do whatever he wants in the next four years. “You can never throw caution to the wind, you can’t threaten your constituencies and you can’t burn your bridges, even in your last term,” Brown said.

--Bay City News

--Photo: Brown Campaign