CALIFORNIA — As California continues to face the highest cost of living in the nation, Gov. Gavin Newsom was asked during a CNN interview about affordability concerns driving some residents to leave the state.

The question came as Newsom promoted his new memoir, Young Man in a Hurry, and was pressed on rising housing costs and families struggling to afford rent or buy homes.

“California has the highest cost of living in the nation. The state’s prices are 11% higher than the national average. We were actually out to dinner here in Nashville last night. We met a couple from California. They moved out of California because they couldn’t afford the rent or even to buy a home and also start a family,” CNN reporter Dana Bash said.

Rather than directly addressing residents relocating because of affordability, Newsom shifted to highlighting California’s recent population growth and economic performance.

“Yeah, we’ve had hundreds of thousands of people move in California. The last two, three years, we’ve seen population growth,” Newsom said.

He added that California has moved from the sixth- to the fourth-largest economy in the world and now dominates in industries such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology and robotics.

“People are struggling to afford things like your mom was”

Bash responded that people are struggling to afford things “like your mom was,” referencing Newsom’s account that his mother worked three jobs to make ends meet after his parents divorced.

“And that’s why we did $11 insulin, first of its kind in the United States. It’s why we have universal healthcare and the lowest uninsured rate in the country, 6.4%,” Newsom said.

He added that it’s why the state subsidizes over 300,000 child care slots and that 65% of students graduate from the UC and CSU systems with zero debt.

“It’s why we have the highest minimum wage for healthcare workers, $25 in the United States. For fast food workers, $20 — the minimum wage is $20,” Newsom said.

He also touted expanded paid sick leave and an extension to eight weeks of paid family leave.

Newsom acknowledged housing as a long-standing issue, saying, “We haven’t been able to get out of our way,” and described recent housing reforms as among the most significant in a generation.

The interview primarily focused on Newsom’s personal story outlined in his book, including his childhood, dyslexia and family history.

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