Gov. Gavin Newsom takes a photo with Joe Lanfranco, owner of the Cosmopolitan, Tuesday evening. Photo via Cosmo Facebook page
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The Cosmopolitan Tavern in Downtown Fresno hosted Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday night during his trip to sign new water legislation near Sanger.
According to a Facebook post Wednesday morning that appears to have been removed, Newsom took a picture with Cosmo Executive Chef and Owner Joe Lanfranco.
Lanfranco has had an at-times contentious relationship with state bureaucracy. In 2016, the original Cosmo location had to move to its current home near Selland Arena due to the high-speed rail project.
That wasn’t lost on some people leaving Facebook comments, ranging from congratulations to disdain for some of the governor’s policies.
“Our feeling is no matter which party you belong to, having the governor of the state choose to come to your restaurant in downtown Fresno of all places is kind of an accomplishment,” Lanfranco said in the post.
Lanfranco had noted for a previous story about dinner service in Downtown Fresno that the move had actually been good for business, placing the restaurant in a more prime location.