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Gavin Newsom Pushes Back At Trump's Attacks On Sanctuary Cities

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- The man who wants to be California's next governor pushing back at the next president, and the incoming Trump administration's threat to sanctuary cities.

"We are going to have to do our best not to coordinate and collaborate. You can't just sit back and take it from these guys," Newsom said.

In his first sit down interview since the election, the California Lt. Governor wasted no time in drawing the on the election of Donald trump call for an end to sanctuary cities.

"Going after violent criminals. Going after felons. I completely understand," Newsom said.

But, when it comes to splitting up families, or deporting families, Newsom disagrees with the incoming President.

"What kind of world are we living in? You can't just sit back and take it from these guys. You can't just have the misogyny and the xenophobia the nativism. You can't have all this just allow to be run free and run rough shod over the state of California and our people. We've got to step up and push back," Newsom said.

Republican Committeewoman and lawyer Harmeet Dhillon however, says Newsom and other California democrats are jumping the gun.

"Let's be clear the attorney general doesn't make the law, the attorney general enforces the law," Dhillon said.

"For people to deny how chilling this election has been to real human being is to deny reality," Newsom said. "I'd tell Jeff Sessions, we don't need him coming in and scaring our young folks - going after our dreamers."

Newsom also announced Monday he wants to replace the academic performance index with a new system to measure accountability in public schools. It would be expanded from the current academic benchmarks to measure the "school climate," including incidents of racism and bullying.

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