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Gov. Brown Taxes Tax Pitch To Republican District

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Jerry Brown has taken his budget message on the road.

Photos: Governor Jerry Brown's 2011 Inauguration

On Friday, he stopped at an elementary school in Riverside to make his pitch that voters should decide whether to support a renewal of recent tax hikes. He says balancing taxes with spending cuts is the best way to close California's remaining $15.4 billion deficit.

The Democratic governor says the state is too divided and the stakes too high to let lawmakers decide what to do without consulting voters.

Brown targeted a Republican district on Friday and plans more appearances throughout California in the hopes of winning some GOP votes, which are needed to call a special election.

Brown says there is no right answer, but residents need to decide what they want from the state.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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