SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Seeking to capitalize on pledges to focus on the nation's infrastructure, California Gov. Jerry Brown is urging President Donald Trump to consider California's high-speed rail efforts on this week's first official visit to the Golden State.
"You have lamented that 'we don't have one fast train' in our country," Brown wrote in a Monday letter to Trump. "Well, Mr. Trump, in California we are trying to fix that. We have a world-class train system under construction. We invite you to come aboard and truly 'Make America Great Again.'"
Trump's visit on Tuesday is scheduled to focus on a review near San Diego of prototypes for his promised border wall, followed by a Beverly Hills fundraiser for the Republican National Committee. A spokesman for Brown said the governor is not planning to greet the president on his arrival or accompany him on the border wall inspection.
But the Democratic governor, who last week lashed out at the Trump administration for filing a lawsuit against California's new immigration laws, is seeking to capitalize on the presidential visit for a chance to pitch the beleaguered train project. Last week, officials at the agency responsible for building the bullet train system released a new business plan that raised the cost to at least an estimated $77.3 billion.
"I invite you to head north to the Central Valley _ the heart of California," Brown wrote. "Here in cities like Fresno and Madera more than a dozen bridges and viaducts are being built for the nation's first and only High-Speed Rail line."
Brown's letter, which also noted the history of past inaugural presidential visits to California, took aim at the central premise of Trump's promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
Reminding the president of the state's creation of almost 3 million jobs since the recession, Brown wrote that "our prosperity is not built on isolation."
"Quite the opposite," the governor wrote to Trump. "California thrives because we welcome immigrants and innovators from across the globe."
