This part is funny
“The trip signals a new phase of Brown’s governorship. Having declared the state’s books balanced, he is shifting his focus away from the mundane task of balancing the state’s books toward more lofty pursuits.”
You nailed the humorous part of this report.
It might be better written if it read, “The trip signals a new phase of Brown’s governorship. Having declared the state’s citizens [tapped-out], he is shifting his focus away from the mundane task of [fleecing Californians toward fleecing people around the globe].”