The Abridged version:
- Xavier Becerra, California’s next governor, was born and raised in Sacramento, growing up in the Land Park neighborhood.
- He will be the first Sacramento-born governor since Hiram Johnson, who led the state from 1911 to 1917.
- The historic Governor’s Mansion in Downtown Sacramento has been unoccupied since early into Gavin Newsom’s first term. A spokesperson said whether Becerra would move into the mansion is unclear.
A Sacramento-born politician is set to lead the Golden State for the first time in more than a century, with the recent election of Xavier Becerra.
While Becerra’s political ambitions have taken him to Washington, D.C., and back, his connections to Sacramento have been a through line for the governor-elect. Becerra was born in Sacramento and raised in a small home in Land Park. His father was a farmworker who also built roads in Sacramento, and his mother was a secretary, according to his congressional biography.
He also attended high school locally. As the election results were called in his favor Tuesday night, McClatchy High School posted Becerra’s 1976 senior yearbook photo.
“Once a Lion, always a Lion — congratulations, Governor Becerra!” the school wrote in an Instagram post.
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The school added that Becerra was on the golf team and part of MAYA, the Mexican American Youth Association.
Living in Sacramento
Becerra’s primary residence is currently in Sacramento. On Election Day, he cast his ballot from a voting center close to his childhood neighborhood, with a visit to Belle Cooledge Community Center in South Land Park.
The election also marks the first time a governor with Sacramento roots will lead the state since World War I. Hiram Johnson, another Sacramento native, led the state from 1911 to 1917.
It’s unclear whether or not Becerra will take up residence in the historic California Governor’s Mansion at 1526 H St. Becerra is still determining where he will live as governor, campaign spokesperson Jonathan Underland said.
The three-story mansion and State Historic Park hasn’t had any permanent residents since former Gov. Jerry Brown left office and moved out in 2019. Gov. Gavin Newsom made headlines when he proclaimed that he, his wife and their four children would live in the nearly 150-year old mansion, but later settled on living in Carmichael.
