Eagle Era

AHS students joined state officials for the launch of the First Partner’s new initiative in late February

By Iniya Prabahar

The Fremont Main Library hosted a major statewide kickoff on February 27th when Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California, launched a new initiative aimed at fighting loneliness and strengthening connections across the state called California Love, California Strong. Governor Gavin Newsom joined her at the event, which focused on the importance of libraries as third spaces—social environments for people to gather and create community—and brought together students, local leaders, and library staff. 

Shon Khisti (10) attended the launch after being chosen by school administrators. “I was nominated by my teachers to go to this event because they were taking around 20 students from each middle and high school in Fremont,” said Khisti.

He described the event as more interactive than he expected. “The atmosphere was pretty warm. We met the Governor and the First Partner. We conversed and took pictures,” he said. “It was a very communicative event. There were some speeches, but there was also face-to-face conversation.” 

Becky Machetta, the branch manager of the Fremont Main Library, explained that the launch was the official beginning of the statewide initiative that grew out of the aftermath of the 2025 California wildfires. “California Love, California Strong is an initiative that is celebrating belonging, volunteerism, and bringing community together,” Machetta said. “This particular event focused on libraries as third spaces in the community and the importance of libraries being refuges.” 

Machetta said Fremont was chosen after Siebel Newsom personally visited the library in January. “She was visiting Fremont, and she had done a school visit to the California School for the Deaf. She came and visited the Fremont Main Library, and she fell in love with the space,” Machetta said. “She absolutely loved the solarium, the space in the library, and the outside area of the library—how you could see from inside the library to the park.” 

California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom introduced her California Love, California Strong initiative on stage at Fremont Main Library (Photo Credit: Shon Khisti (10)). 

Upon Siebel Newsom’s visit, the library spent weeks preparing to host the event. “We had several meetings with people talking about the logistics of the event. I personally had to work on getting health and special event permits,” Machetta said. 

Speakers and panelists also touched on censorship and book bans. According to the Governor’s Office website, the event included a panel on The Librarians, a documentary about librarians confronting censorship and threats to intellectual freedom.

Students said the event focused more on vision than policy specifics. Khisti said he did not remember clear details about funding for the libraries being announced. “I’m not sure about any dollar amounts, but I think it was more of an introduction before they talk about funding,” he said. The state’s launch announcement, which outlined the initiative’s goals, said monthly events will continue throughout 2026 but did not list a specific funding amount. 

For many students, though, the biggest impact was local. Khisti said that the event changed how he saw the library itself. “I never looked at the library as such a deep place, but now I have more appreciation for it and the role it serves as a community center,” he said. 

Tanishka Nath (12) also attended, saying that the event brought overdue attention to librarians. “They’re kind of an overshadowed area that not a lot of people talk about,” she said. “For it to get this much emphasis, I think that it was pretty needed in light of censorship and banning books.” 

As the first stop in a yearlong, statewide effort, the Fremont launch places the city’s main library at the center of a broader conversation about connection, public space, and belonging. While the event may have introduced more vision than policy, it clearly left attendees with a stronger sense of what libraries can represent.