welcome to kqed "newsroom," i'm thuy vu.onight we will reflect on the past year and look at what may lie forward in 2014. joining me is carla maranucci, paul rodgers environment writer and managing editor for kqed science, and joshua johnson, kqed morning newscaster. first a quick review of some highlights of 2013. 2013, the year of the california comeback and governor jerry brown rising. he visited china in april to establish a trade relationship and ended the year with a big budget surplus for the state. a stalemate in congress led to the sequester and a federal government shutdown for more than two weeks. shuttering attractions and furloughing workers. it was a bumpy launch for the affordable care act while the covered california rollout went more smoothly. the push for comprehensive immigration reform stalled. president obama's approval ratings took a big hit even in solidly blue california. same-sex marriage advocates celebrated rulings by the u.s. supreme court. edward snowden leaked about surveillance and raised eyebr

i'm thuy vu.n his state of the state speech this week, governor jerry brown praised the huge budg surplus but also expressed concern for california's long-term pension liabilities and the drought. >> and we must follow the ancient advice recounted in the book of genesis that joseph gave to the pharaoh -- put away your surplus. during the years of great play so that you'll be ready for the lower years which is soon to follow. >> one of jerry brown's critics is neel kashkari, a moderate republican who entered the race for governor this week. >> i'm running for governor because i want every kid in california to get a quality education, and i want every californian to get a chance for a good-paying job. >> and joining me now for analysis of the political landscape in california are carl marinucci, "san francisco chronicle" senior political writer, josh richman, bay area news group politics reporter, and scott detrow, kqed's sacramento bureau chief, joining us from the state capitol. scott, we'll get t