New York billionaire and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg made his first visit to California as a presidential candidate on Wednesday, with stops in Stockton and San Francisco.
The Democrat and former New York mayor joined former California Gov. Jerry Brown at San Francisco's Moscone Center for a conversation about America's Pledge. Bloomberg and Brown launched the America's Pledge initiative in 2017.
Bloomberg at the Moscone Center event criticized President Donald Trump's take on climate change and outlined what needs to be done to fight it.
The 77-year-old billionaire has used his wealth to make an impact in the global fight against climate change and in his 2020 presidential campaign. He is largest donor in the history of the Sierra Club, and he has spent more than $60 million in the first two weeks of his campaign on television ads now running in all 50 states.
Bloomberg earlier in the day was in the state's Central Valley to attend a round table discussion with local leaders in Stockton. He faced one question over and over: Why did he decide to run this late in the race?
"I looked carefully and I saw a trend that cannot be reversed," Bloomberg said. "And I realized I would never forgive myself if I didn't try to do something about it."
Bloomberg during his California visit also rolled out a proposal for dealing with the state's biggest issue -- the need for affordable housing.
California
News from across California
"To start there would be an increase in affordable housing that would also be partially paid with tax credits just as we did in New York," Bloomberg said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
