California Senator Laphonza Butler visits students at Fresno City College

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- California Senator Laphonza Butler spoke to students astatine Fresno City College connected Friday.

The legislator joined dozens of assemblage members, galore of them students, for an unfastened location astir supporting our youth.

"I deliberation the top spot to our ideology is happening successful precocious schools and connected assemblage campuses close now," said Butler.

The day lawsuit followed a closed-door gathering Butler had with students earlier successful the morning, wherever she discussed reproductive rights, jobs, and the economy.

Butler's Friday travel to the Valley is the archetypal clip she's visited Fresno since taking bureau successful October.

Governor Gavin Newsom appointed the 44-year-old Butler aft the passing of precocious Senator Dianne Feinstein past fall.

Butler's assignment made history. She is the country's archetypal openly lesbian Black senator.

But her clip successful bureau volition beryllium short.

"I'm not going to beryllium successful the Senate for a agelong time, but I americium going to beryllium determination for a bully time," Butler explained.

Just 16 days aft being sworn in, she announced she wouldn't question predetermination for a afloat word to the seat.

That determination helped tee up what's becoming a contentious contention betwixt high-profile California Democrats to service successful the Senate.

U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee are each moving to regenerate Butler, on with respective others.

They'll look disconnected during the March primary, with the apical 2 winners heading to the November wide election.

Pressed by Action News, Butler wouldn't propulsion her enactment down 1 candidate.

"The candidates that are moving are -- each 3 of them -- incredibly strong. And they've got immoderate enactment to bash to gain the spot and votes of Californians, and I look guardant to seeing them bash that," Butler said.

As California voters get acceptable to elite her replacement, Butler says she's hard astatine enactment successful Washington.

Several members of her bureau told Valley residents however Butler tin assistance them enactment with national agencies.

On Friday, the legislator besides aligned herself intimately with labour issues and said she's moving connected different matters, similar immigration.

"We request to marque imperishable DACA. We request to little the outgo of those renewal applications," said Butler.

After the lawsuit was over, Butler spent respective minutes posing for photos. She'll clasp a akin lawsuit with young radical successful San Francisco connected Saturday.

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