Will Gavin Newsom Live In Sacramento As Governor?
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Now that Gavin Newsom is California's next governor, everyone's wondering where will he live?
Gov. Jerry Brown is credited with bringing life back to California's historic Governor's residence.
"My legacy is restoring the old governor's mansion," he said.
Many people, including Sacramento Vice Mayor Steve Hansen, would like to see the next governor move in.
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"While the governor is in town he needs a place to stay and this I hope will be it," he said.
For decades, the 1877 mansion sat unoccupied and was a museum until Brown decided he wanted to live there. The state authorized spending more than $4 million to renovate the three-story Victorian and Brown moved back in.
Brown would even sit out in front of his home and hand out candy on Halloween. Many say it's a treat having the governor in their neighborhood.
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"I think it was nice that he connected with the capital city," said Karen Jones of Sacramento.
Currently, the governor-elect Gavin Newsom lives in the Bay Area with his wife and school-aged children. We reached out to his campaign and they say at this point it's undecided.
"He has a family, he has kids, it's completely understandable since he was lieutenant governor and he didn't move then," Jones said.
Newsom once told The Sacramento Bee the city was "just so dull" and recently suggested it's no longer essential for California's governor to be based in the capital city.
Some people say it's a slap in the face for Sacramento.
"He has to really experience it on his own before he can really make an opinion on that," said one resident.
"If they renovated it for $4 mil, I'd live there fo' sho'," another man joked.
But Hansen says the historic home will always serve the city, just hoping the governor won't choose to live anywhere else.
"This is the symbolic mansion that hosts our governor, whoever she or he may be and I hope we continue that tradition," he said.
Fourteen governors have called it home, but the question remains, will one more make history there?
If the governor doesn't move in, many people suggested it should be open for tours.
Hansen assured it would still be used for dinners and parties.