At the core of Brown’s plan for creating new jobs in California is a dramatic expansion in the state’s renewable energy infrastructure, though he has also called for broader public works spending and incentives for creating manufacturing jobs.

Brown’s green jobs plan calls for the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission to create a series of incentives that would encourage development of green power plants, transmission lines and energy storage devices, thereby leading to upwards of 500,000 new jobs in the clean energy sector.

The plan also advocates localized projects, such as installing solar panels on public and commercial property, upgrading homes and other buildings to make them more energy efficient and hiring a “clean energy jobs czar” to ensure hiring goals are met.

In addition to his green jobs plan, Brown has also proposed taking several steps to stimulate the state’s construction industry. Among them: fast-tracking high-speed rail projects and improving roads, bridges, ports and other transportation infrastructure. At a union picnic in Manteca in early September, Brown said he would help find money to repair levees in the area, which fits with his plan to invest in water infrastructure.

Both Brown and Whitman support targeted programs designed to spur business growth or eliminate unnecessary regulations. For example, both support accelerating the depreciation schedule for manufacturing equipment, leading to larger short-term tax write-offs. Both candidates have also proposed reducing or eliminating taxes on manufacturing equipment and using bureaucratic reviews to soften or eliminate regulations that inhibit job growth.

A key difference between Brown and Whitman is how the two candidates view Assembly Bill 32, a controversial law passed in 2006 that requires major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Brown has cast the bill as foundational to his green jobs plan, whereas Whitman has called for a one-year moratorium on its implementation.

Brown has proposed creating a so-called “strike team” that would serve as a central authority for job creation activities in the state, such as coordinating worker training programs and tax incentives; seeking grant money and loans from the federal government and private sources; and serving as a liaison between businesses and state agencies with the goal of speeding up processes such as permitting.

Whitman’s plan for jobs is built around a supply-side philosophy of targeted tax cuts, regulatory reforms and incentives designed to make California more attractive for businesses and to encourage expansion and hiring.

Specifically, she aims to cut the $800 registration fee charged to new limited liability corporations; eliminate the tax on manufacturing equipment (which Brown has also said he would like to reduce); increase the tax credit for research and development activities from 15 percent to 20 percent; and eliminate the state’s tax on gains from capital investments – something Brown strongly opposes.

Like Brown, her plan also calls for an unspecified tax credit to spur hiring in the clean energy sector. Both candidates have also expressed a desire to eliminate unnecessary regulations that stifle business growth.

For instance, Whitman has proposed a moratorium on most new state regulations until a 90-day review of existing regulations is completed. She would also require a formal cost-benefit analysis be conducted for regulations that arise from state agencies. Both Whitman and Brown have proposed various measures to expedite permitting and consolidate the duties of overlapping regulatory agencies.

The Whitman campaign has estimated that tax cuts, streamlining and other reforms could lead to the creation of 2 million new jobs by 2015.

Also central to Whitman’s jobs theme is her record as a corporate executive, which is reflected in other policy proposals she has mentioned on the campaign trail. She has proposed hiring more qualified foreign workers through the H1B visa program, which is often used by technology companies. She has also called for a temporary guest worker program in the Central Valley.

Though she supports a one-year moratorium on Assembly Bill 32, which imposes greenhouse gas regulations that some Republicans fear could dissuade companies from hiring, she told Southern California radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou that she would likely vote no on Proposition 23, which would suspend AB 32 until certain economic conditions are met.

To encourage more businesses to relocate or stay in California, Whitman has proposed extending the $250,000 cap on punitive damages that already exists on medical liability lawsuits to suits involving product liability.

She also proposes changing state labor laws to allow workers to work more than 8 hours in a single day without being paid overtime, which she argues will encourage companies to develop more flexible schedules for their employees.