California Gov. Jerry Brown told the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce on Thursday he will end up with a budget all Californians can accept.

In a move similar to that of President Barack Obama on Monday, who addressed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in hopes of "being more neighborly" and improving his relationship with big business, Brown took his budget pitch on the road. He spoke for 11 minutes to 1,500 L.A. business leaders at the J.W. Marriott Hotel at L.A. Live.

"I appreciate the applause, we're going to need it in a couple of months," said Brown as he took the stage in downtown Los Angeles.

The governor appeared to be in a good mood Thursday night, cracking jokes about the size of the state's $25 billion budget deficit while comparing it favorably to the greater deficit Texas faces. 

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However, cracking jokes didn't stop the governor from getting serious before a crowd that was mostly enthusiastic in its applause.

"I am going to do my best to demonstrate, to lay out before the people of California what they need to do, and what they need to avoid.  What we need to avoid is evasion and obfuscation and political deals that don't build for the future," Brown said.

His hope is that better relations with the big businesses of L.A. will be the first in a month-long path to secure vital Republican votes in the state Legislature. The Legislature will need to authorize next month a June special election during which voters would be asked to extend current tax hikes by five years.

Without Republican votes, Brown's attempt at righting some of California's budget woes by maintaining tax hikes a while longer might fail.

"I don't want a one party plan, I want a California plan," Brown said.

This was his first visit to Los Angeles since being inaugurated as governor. The visit also came on the same day that he saw his approval rating drop six percentage points with more likely voters unsure about how to rate him, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll. In L.A., one of two adults were undecided about Brown's performance.

On his way into L.A., he flew on a regular Southwest Airlines flight without an entourage. At Bob Hope Aiport, Brown defended his decision not to sell state buildings to generate much needed income.

“Selling the crowned jewels is foolish,” Brown said (video).  “We bought those buildings because we wanted to save on rent, and to now sell them for a $1 billion and to have to pay an extra $6 billion going forward is not smart.”

The governor had promised to charm, inform and challenge the chamber, which has voiced support for his slash-and-tax budget plan. The statewide chamber of commerce has yet to show a similar level of support for the budget proposal.

The L.A. chamber's board of directors is split almost equally among Republicans and Democrats, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Brown at lunch on Thursday afternoon at the upscale California Club, meeting with key unnamed "Republican figures," according to ATVN.

Brown plans to stump for state senate candidate Ted Lieu in Torrance on Friday morning. Before that, Brown is scheduled to appear on Fox 11's morning news show at 8 a.m.

To see where many of the major players in state politics stand, roll your mouse around the interactive infographic below, which we will regularly update. Some the groups and legislators haven't been reached yet, so we haven't included any details about their positions.

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