Watch CBS News

Governor Brown Touts Optimism Of Budget Deal To Silicon Valley CEO's

SAN JOSE (KCBS) -- 300 high-tech leaders and CEO's had an opportunity to share some of their concerns with Governor Brown during a panel discussion in Silicon Valley on Friday. Education funding and the state budget topped the list of topics at The Silicon Valley Leadership Groups' business climate summit, where Gov. Brown shared his optimism that a budget deal would be reached soon.

"I think we still have a very decent chance," Brown said on getting a deal. "I'm working on it all the time and I'm pretty optimistic because if we don't do that, we underfund our universities and our schools, and I think that will be a tragedy for California," warned the governor.

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

The panel included Applied Materials CEO Mike Splinter as well as the head of Sunpower. The consensus amongst the tech leaders was that they'd like to see a budget deal sooner than later.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said they'd like to see some predictability.

"When we plan investments, we plan them many years out. Having that predictability of knowing what the climate will be is really important for long-term investment in California," said Sandberg.

Sandberg continued that the needs of a Silicon Valley workforce aren't being met.

Governor Brown conceded that the uncertain budget situation is creating plenty of turbulence within the state's education system.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.