President Bill Clinton to speak at Fresno State
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In just a matter of hours former President Bill Clinton is set to speak at the Satellite Student Union at Fresno State. Clinton will be joined by civil rights and labor leader Dolores Huerta.
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The theme of the event: Breaking the Barriers -- they plan to discuss pay equality and immigration.
Sunday night Bakersfield got a preview of what Fresno can expect later Monday morning. Bill Clinton made a campaign stop at the United Farm Workers 20th annual Constitutional Convention. The main message, Equality.
After Bakersfield, Clinton made his way to Delano where he discussed making it easier for students to go to college.
This is Clinton's first trip to the Valley since 1996. Fresno State is one of three California stops the former president will be making on Monday for his wife Hillary. The democratic front runner is less than 100 delegates away from clinching the party nomination.
The former president was also spotted Sunday night in Visalia.
Campaign officials say so far they don't know of any other unofficial stops he may make in the Valley. After Fresno State he's headed to Stockton and Sacramento.
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Clinton has been criss-crossing the country to boost the presidential campaign of his wife, and he will speak at Fresno State Monday morning.
Clinton will address supporters at the Satellite Student Union on the Fresno State campus.
The event begins at 11 a.m. but people are asked to arrive at 10:15 a.m. and free parking is available in the P15 and P16 lots. You can also register online at hillaryclinton.com.
"'Breaking the Barriers' is the theme of this event, so I think he'll be talking around that subject," Region 8 director Doug Kessler said. "Pay equality, minimum wage, immigration rights."
"He hasn't forgotten the Valley and we're really excited about that," he said.
Clinton has made a number of trips to the Valley.
In 1995, he stopped in Fresno as well as Lincoln Middle School in Selma.
On September 12, 1996, Clinton returned to speak at Fresno's Dailey Elementary, and he even took in a jog with his Secret Service agents along a canal bank across from campus.
Fresno Pacific professor Breck Harris happened to be in the neighborhood that day.
"It's kind of shocking in Fresno to be driving on the road and be looking and all of sudden see the President of the United States," he exclaimed. "And he wasn't far away from me on the road and I was kind of like just amazed."
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders remains in the presidential race despite trailing Hillary Clinton in the delegate count, and some local Democrats say it's a good situation.
"For one thing, it's going to help increase turnout because with two Democrats still vying for the nomination that's going to increase the number of people who are actually voting," Fresno Democratic office chair Michael D. Evans said.
Clinton will leave for a fundraising event in Sacramento after his stop at Fresno State.
"Tremendous amount of respect," Kessler said. "A lot of Republicans have called and said, 'I want to see Bill.'"
Regarding the Clinton appearance, Fresno State president Joseph Castro tweeted, "We are a public university and welcome all presidential candidates/campaigns to visit."
