In his first "state of the State" address since succeeding Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brown warned that California will not create the jobs it needs "unless we get our financial house in order."

As part of those efforts he is pushing for a popular ballot in June to mandate the extension of tax hikes needed to help rein in California's estimated $25-billion budget shortfall.

Republican lawmakers have said they will not allow a public vote on taxes, but Brown, a Democrat, compared this to thwarting the popular will as in Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak is defying a popular uprising.

"When democratic ideals and calls for the right to vote are stirring the imagination of young people in Egypt and Tunisia and other parts of the world, we in California can't say now is the time to block a vote of the people.

"My plan to rebuild California requires a vote of the people, and frankly, I believe it would be irresponsible to exclude the people from this process," he added.