California Republicans attend Inaugural Ball with hopes President Trump will bring brighter future

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - A contingent of California Republicans celebrated in Washington, D.C. Friday night as they rose as early as 4:30 a.m. for the Inauguration ceremony for President Donald Trump and danced into the night at one of the official Inaugural Balls that drew tens of thousands of people.

RNC National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon of San Francisco was there with her husband.

"The President set the tone of this event to be a people's event so while in prior years there have been balls that have cost thousands of dollars to attend, the tickets for this ball is $50 each and so it really is very accessible to the average American," Dhillon said.

Hundreds of Californians attended the inauguration ceremony. Northern California Trump campaign volunteer Jon Cordova was there with his wife.

Dhillon says the event was inspiring.

"I'm an immigrant so I'm really excited as a citizen to be able to celebrate a peaceful transition of power like this and frankly, you take the politics out of it, it's just something to celebrate as an American," Dhillon said.

In the Bay Area, some 100 Republicans watched the inauguration on television at the downtown Campbell restaurant Socialight.

"We're very hopeful for the future and excited about the Trump presidency," said Shane Patrick Connolly, the treasurer of the Santa Clara County Republican Party.

"Things can be better...give this administration a chance to do some things. I think some people want to stop things before they even get started," said Frank Jewett, a Santa Clara County Republican

Former California Republican Party Chair and author Thomas Del Beccaro says California's economy could benefit from the Trump administration through tax reform and economic stimulus, but the state could suffer on some issues such as trade.

As for California and immigration, Del Beccaro says wait and see.

"A comprehensive immigration bill will trail Obamacare, the Supreme Court justice, a tax reform bill. All of those will come before they tackle immigration. So I actually think you'll see not that big of a change in the first six months of his Presidency."

Friday marked a beginning of a shift in the political winds, that many California Republicans say they welcome.