California Governor Newsom Vows 'Sanctuary To All Who Seek It' In Inauguration Speech
SACRAMENTO (CBSLA/AP) - California's new governor is promising the most populous state will be a "sanctuary to all who seek it" in a direct affront to President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom challenged the Trump administration repeatedly as he was sworn in to office Monday, particularly on immigration.
The former San Francisco mayor became the state's 40th governor, succeeding the term-limited Jerry Brown.
"People's lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe — they all hang in the balance," Newsom, 51, told a crowd of hundreds packed into a tent outside the state Capitol.
He says children should not be "ripped away from their parents" at the border, and they also shouldn't be left hungry while Trump pledges to spend billions of dollars on "a wall that should never be built."
While he avoided referencing Trump by name, Newsom referred to the administration as corrupt and incompetent and promised California will "write America's future."
Even as he needled Trump, Newsom offered an overture to voters in rural California, millions of whom voted for Trump and John Cox, Newsom's Republican rival in November.
"I recognize that many in our rural communities believe that Sacramento doesn't care about them — doesn't even really see them," he said. "I see you. I care about you. And I will represent you with pride."
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)