Brown’s prudent revise

As Gov. Jerry Brown wraps up his long political career, it’s becoming clear that one of his greatest legacies will be the financial restraint he employed during one of California’s historic booms.

Discussing his final state budget revise on Friday in Sacramento, Brown reported an $8.9 billion surplus in a $199 billion budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts on July 1. That’s $3 billion more in surplus than was projected in January.

California is a state with many needs and many competing interests. The temptation for the state Legislature has always been to spend away any surplus on the issue du jour.

The governor does propose some extra spending: $2 billion in deferred maintenance for infrastructure, $359 million in homelessness assistance to local governments, and $96 million to protect California’s forests from the threat of wildfires.

But these are one-time expenses that will offer benefits to Californians long after Brown has left office. Otherwise, he’s rightly fought hard to keep a lid on the spending of his fellow Democrats.

“This is a time to save for our future, not to make pricey promises we can’t keep,” Brown said. His budget proposes fully funding the state’s budget reserve fund, directing an extra $3.2 billion into it to shore up California for the lean years that are certain to come.