Gov. Jerry Brown delivered a classic Jerry Brown State of the State speech Wednesday.

Some of it was off the cuff – gigging Republicans as clairvoyants and savants for responding to his speech Tuesday before he had even finished writing it.

Some of it was inspirational – touting the state's high-tech ingenuity while attacking the doomsayers and "declinists" who regularly hype the state's demise.

Some of it showed humility: "We can, and should, devise more permanent tax reform but for now we should finish the job of bringing spending into balance with revenues."

Some of it was cautionary, such as his remarks about public safety realignment: "It is one thing to pass a law and quite another to implement it and make it work."

All that said, Brown's speech was oblique even for a governor who seems to relish being oblique at times.

His agenda is clear – a balanced budget, regulatory reform, clean energy, high-speed rail, a Delta water deal, more local control for schools, pension reform and implementation of realignment. But he needs to be more forthcoming on how he plans to make headway on the big items on his agenda.

Consider, for instance:

• Water: In his speech, Brown talked about restoring 100,000 acres of habitat in the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta, as part of a larger plan to build a new water delivery canal or tunnel through the Delta. But funding for habitat restoration depends on voter approval of a once-delayed $11.1 billion water bond, which includes $2.25 billion for Delta restoration. Will the governor allow that bond measure to stay on the November ballot, where it could hurt chances for passage of his proposed tax increase? Or does he want the water bond delayed (again) to 2014, which could trip up permit approvals for a Delta deal?

• High-speed rail: Brown continues to support construction of high-speed rail, calling it "a wise investment," given the alternatives. But where does he want the first phase constructed? In the Central Valley? In Southern California? Both at the same time? And if he's not yet ready to answer that question, what process will the High-Speed Rail Authority use to arrive at an answer?

• School testing: Brown said it's time "to reduce the number of tests and get the results to teachers, principals and superintendents in weeks, not months." Sounds good, but which tests? And what would be the consequence for school accountability?

After a year in office, Brown has pursued ambitious goals and achieved an impressive amount – particularly with realignment, ending redevelopment and reducing the state's budget deficit. In 2012, he apparently wants to add education to that list, replacing categorical programs with a new, weighted student formula that could provide a boost to disadvantaged students.

That's a worthy and unexpected goal, but even there, the governor needs to flesh out the details, and ensure that legislative leaders are full partners in the cause before he charges ahead.

The public and even "dystopian journalists" shouldn't be shy about seeking transparency and engagement from the governor, who quite rightly said that his role "is to listen, to engage and to lead."

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.