Gov. Jerry Brown will be the first governor to move into the historic Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento since Ronald Reagan lived there, when he and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, move in between the end of this year and the beginning of next.
“I really think this is what we’ve wanted all along as a Sacramento community,” former lawmaker Deborah Ortiz, who pushed to establish a permanent home for the governor in Sacramento, told the Sacramento Bee.
The Bee notes that, until now, California is one of only a handful of states without a permanent governor’s residence. The historic mansion that the Browns will soon make their home housed 13 governors before it was vacated for major renovations.
After Ronald and Nancy Reagan moved out of the building in 1967, a new mansion was reportedly built in Carmichael for Reagan by his supporters but he left office before being able to live there.
Upon becoming governor during his first term, Brown opted to live in an apartment on N Street. He and his wife now split their time between a home in Oakland and an upscale loft in downtown Sacramento.
Brown’s office reportedly said that funds for the historic mansion’s renovation are from proceeds from the sale of the Carmichael mansion, which was sold for $3.1 million. With interest that was accrued, that sum reportedly totaled $4.6 million.
The total cost of the renovations on the Governor’s Mansion is reportedly $4.1 million.
The Browns have reportedly “committed” to allowing public access to certain parts of he mansion. However, it will serve primarily as the Browns’ residence.
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