Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro Brings His Presidential Aspirations To California
EAST LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro held the first California rally of his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Saturday at Garfield High School.
Castro said he would share his "vision for a more inclusive and prosperous nation, one where every American can live up to their potential."
The former HUD secretary -- who was also mayor of San Antonio -- Castro will also discuss his "People First" immigration policy, which calls for a "pathway to full and equal citizenship," to those living in the U.S. without authorization, ending criminal penalties for entering the United States without legal permission and a "Marshall Plan" for Central America, focusing on stabilizing the nations that are the main sources of migration to the United States. The Marshall Plan was the U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe following World War II.
Appearing on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday, Castro made his case for the presidency by saying he was one of the few in the race who ran a big city -- San Antonio is America's seventh largest city.
Castro, 44, began his political career in 2001 when he was elected to San Antonio City Council when he was 26 years old, the youngest person elected to that body. He served on the City Council until 2005, when he gave up the seat to make an unsuccessful run for mayor.
He was elected mayor of San Antonio in 2009, serving until 2014, when he was tapped to run HUD under then-President Barack Obama, remaining in the position for the rest of the Obama administration.
Castro received a bachelor's degree from Stanford in 1996 in political science and communications and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2000.
If elected, Castro would be the nation's first Latino president and first whose highest previous office was cabinet secretary since Herbert Hoover.
Castro's identical twin brother -- Joaquin -- is a member of Congress representing Texas' 20th district. He is also campaign chair for Julian's campaign.