AENN
The governor said last week on his Politickin’ podcast that he had attempted to reach out to President-elect Donald Trump after the election but did not get a response. Newsom confirmed to KCRA 3 Thursday that he still had not heard from him.
California Capitol Correspondent
FRESNO, Calif. —
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Fresno County on Thursday for his first press conference since Donald Trump won the presidential race in the November election.
This was also his first public appearance after Newsom called for a special legislative session to “Trump-proof” the state days after the election. The session will start in December and is aimed at protecting California’s progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration before Trump takes office in January.
Legislative experts note the session is mostly symbolic. Through the special session, Newsom is specifically seeking to provide more funding to the California Department of Justice to prepare for legal battles with the incoming administration. That funding would be made possible through a budget bill in the legislature. Budget bills in California take effect immediately, regardless if lawmakers are in regular session or special session.
“He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election,” Trump said a response.
The governor said last week on his Politickin’ podcast that he had attempted to reach out to Trump after the election but did not get a response. He confirmed to KCRA 3 Thursday that he still had not heard from him.
When KCRA 3 asked if he would have called the special legislative session as soon as he did had he heard from Trump sooner, Newsom replied in part, “Of course. Regardless of whether or not we had a big hug at Mar-a-Lago or not, we need to prepare for that reality.”
When asked if he thinks the preparation to have policy fights with Trump resonates with voters in areas that voted for him, Newsom said, “It’s not about voters, I care about people.”
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
“And there may be a lot of Trump supporters here, but that doesn’t matter, I’m going to still have their backs,” the governor said. “They need us to have their backs, not turn our backs on them.”
Newsom spent Thursday touring a part of Fresno City College’s workforce development program. In the garage of the auto shop of the facility, he promoted an economic and workforce development plan and talked about his intention to commit to certain regions that may have residents who feel overlooked in the state’s financial plans. The plan would provide millions of taxpayer dollars to parts of the state the governor acknowledged may feel economically overlooked.
“California may be the largest economy in the U.S. but that’s cold comfort for certain regions in this state that don’t feel like they’re fully engaged in the prosperity that is the state,” Newsom said. “The economy is not one economy; it’s a network of regions.”
KCRA 3 has learned that Newsom also plans visits in the coming days to Kern and Colusa counties, which Trump also won.
Votes are still being counted across the state, but Trump still appears to have flipped multiple counties from blue to red. As of Thursday, those counties included Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Butte, Inyo, San Bernardino and Riverside.
“A lot of people feel like they’re losing their identity or losing their future,” Newsom was quoted as telling the New York Times recently. “Message received.”
