California Gov. Gavin Newsom spends Election Day phone banking in San Francisco

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Gov. Newsom phone banks on Election Day at Manny's in San Francisco. Nov. 3, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO - California Gov. Gavin Newsom chose to spend the morning of Election Day text- and phone-banking voters from the socially-distant outdoor Victory Booths at Manny’s on Valencia Street in San Francisco.

He was joined by Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed, California State Senator Scott Wiener, California Assemblyman David Chiu and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

Newsom told reporters that he was hopeful his longtime friend, Kamala Harris, who used to be the District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California, would become vice president.

He waxed nostalgic remembering taking walks with her in San Francisco, where he was once mayor.

"She looks so happy now," Newsom said. "She's in her element.

Newsom chose Manny’s, which his office touted as the "country’s first and only outdoor socially distanced set of booths" where community members have been coming to phone bank, text bank, and write over 25,000 letters to swing-state voters. When it's not Election Day, Manny’s is a "people-powered and community-focused" meeting and learning place that combines a restaurant, political bookshop and civic events space.

Manny Yekutiel, 31, founded and runs the community engagement space and café, which KCBS radio dubbed “the New Hampshire of California.”

Manny’s kitchen is run by the non-profit, Farming Hope, which hires formerly homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals and trains them in the food skills needed to work in the restaurant industry.

Manny’s was recognized for its achievements by the California State Senate as “Small Business of the Year.”