Next year's budget deficit has been estimated at $12 billion on the low side and $19 billion on the high side, so the situation will be slightly better than this year.

Like in his campaign, the governor-elect has continued to say the state must make tough choices, but he hasn't said what sort of choices he will push for when he releases his budget proposal in early December.

"But after running a characteristically enigmatic campaign, Mr. Brown will take office wrapped in the kind of mystery that he has seemed to enjoy in a career that has kept friend and foe off balance," the New York Times notes.

The newspaper questions if he will be willing to make state employees work longer to earn their full pensions, especially since they spent $30 million to get him elected.

Brown has promised to make the "budget process transparent and called for a 'grand civic dialogue' that will include people from throughout the state and from all socio-economic backgrounds to talk about what California's spending priorities should be."

Nothing about this first two days has been transparent. Will he stand up to unions, restore cuts made to schools and universities and where will he find the money to invest in green jobs?

Reach executive producer Paresh Dave here. Follow him on Twitter: @peard33.