Gov. Newsom, a man of great words

“Welcome! If you don’t like Sacramento, freeway is this way.” An arrow on the cardboard sign pointed right. This appeared in my sight as soon as I got off the freeway. Surprised by the first impression, I realized it was my first time visiting the capital of California even though I had been in the United States for four and a half years. Above the clean sky, the sunshine illuminated every street corner in Sacramento. Charmed by the 60 degree weather, I started my adventure of interviewing Gov. Gavin Newsom with my journalism team.

The Capitol was not far away from the parking lot, so we chose the 20 minute walk. Compared to my quiet, peaceful hometown in China, the moment I stepped into the Sacramento downtown, I discovered her characteristic: prosperity. Brand-new skyscrapers were higher and hotels were prettier, along with old architecture hidden underneath the modern city that seems to tell us a history. Numerous parks were built close to the street, and after passing two of them, the Capitol was in front of us.

“What kind of person is Gov. Newsom?” I wondered while I passed the security.

There was a long hallway inside the museum and the conference room was on the side.

We began to set up the devices for interviewing; as soon as we finished, a tall, brilliant man opened the door and waved at us. Newsom was there, and his courteous smile made me believe the California governor is simply approachable. He then greeted each of us graciously, and especially had a good time with Nathan Johanson, teacher Matt Johanson’s little nephew. 

Our team prepared long questions, but Newsom’s responses to each of these questions were even way longer than we anticipated. In addition, throughout his serious speaking, I was amused by the humor and greatness of the California governor. Newsom called President Donald Trump an “invasive species” and a “bully” because president denies equality for women’s wages. On the vaping topic, Newsom claimed he is going to work through the “entire distance” for the sake of eliminating flavored vaping, rather than “part of the way” as Trump did. Gasoline, housing problems, even Castro Valley came up. Throughout the interview, Newsom directly expressed his benevolence. It is our pleasure to have such a governor.

The interview ended at 4:00 p.m. When we stepped out of the gate, the sun shined on the white, ancient museum that reflected enormous, dazzling brights. At that moment, I realized under the management of Gov. Newsom, California owns infinite possibilities.