MIAMI — After months of protesting the takeover of their school by conservative trustees appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, students and faculty at New College of Florida found an empathetic ear from an unlikely source: California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I’m crawling out of my skin for you guys,” Newsom told an audience near the Sarasota campus Wednesday. “I want you to know you’re not alone. You matter, we care. This is the why I’m here. I’m not your governor. But I’m a member of the larger community all bound together.”
Newsom, who was joined by his wife, Jennifer Newsom, spoke at the Betty Johnson North Sarasota Public Library near the New College campus, a recent battleground in Florida’s culture wars. His appearance came weeks after DeSantis criticized California’s approach to the pandemic and education during a speech at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
