Biden promises a return to normalcy. Is America ready to go there?
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1of5Members of the National Guard take a break while providing security at the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Presidential inauguration on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021 in Washington, D.C.Gabrielle Lurie / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of5President-elect Joe Biden speaks at the Major Joseph R. Beau Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in New Castle, Del. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Evan Vucci / Associated PressShow MoreShow Less
3of5People talk outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021 in Washington, D.C.Gabrielle Lurie / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Joe Biden was inaugurated the 46th president of the United States January 20 in a ceremony on the west steps of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., bringing to an end one of the most tumultuous administrations in the 243-year history of the republic.
Kamala Harris, who served as San Francisco s district attorney, California attorney general, and U.S. senator from the Golden State, was sworn into office shortly before Biden, making history as the first woman, the first Black American, and the first Asian American to serve as vice president. Don t tell me things can t change, Biden said during his inaugural address regarding Harris historic swearing-in.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) At noon ET Wednesday, it became official: Joe Biden is the president and Kamala Harris is the vice president of the United States.
Reaction immediately poured in from leaders and supporters in the Bay Area and around California, many of them celebrating the ascendance of one of Oakland s own to the second highest office in the land.
For San Francisco Mayor London Breed, the swearing in of Kamala Harris was personal. The joy I feel is overwhelming with the swearing-in of Kamala Harris as our Vice-President, said Breed. I join millions of women across the country in finally seeing a woman take the oath for one of the highest offices in the country. I join millions of Black women across this country in seeing Vice-President Harris take a seat at the table that so many have fought to secure for so long.
What a difference a day makes.
On Tuesday, California was still wrangling with the Trump administration, as evidenced by nine final-hour lawsuits filed by Attorney General Xavier Becerra bringing his four-year total to a staggering 122 lawsuits.
Today, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as president and vice president of the United States, ushering in what many California Democrats hope will be a new era of less contention and more collaboration. Hours later, Harris is expected to swear in Alex Padilla as California’s first Latino senator. (For more on what Padilla hopes to accomplish, check out his interview with CalMatters’ Laurel Rosenhall.) And the Golden State could gain yet another powerful ally in Washington if the Senate confirms Becerra as Health and Human Services secretary.