SAN FRANCISCO — Kamala Harris discussed her new memoir at the San Francisco Masonic on Oct. 5, 2025, where she encouraged Californians to vote in favor of Proposition 50.
The event was the fifth stop of her book tour promoting “107 Days,” which details Harris’ 107-day presidential campaign following former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. With actor and comedian D.L. Hughley moderating, Harris discussed life on the campaign trail and urged local supporters not to lose hope.
When Harris brought up Prop 50, the auditorium erupted into long, roaring cheers, drowning out Harris’ voice for almost half a minute as she called for the measure’s support. The measure, which Californians will vote on this November, would temporarily redistrict the state to yield additional Democratic Congressional seats, counteracting recent gerrymandering efforts in Texas to produce more Republican ones. If passed, California’s new districts would remain in effect until the maps are redrawn in 2030.
“I was just in Texas yesterday,” she said once the applause calmed, referencing her Houston book tour stop. “Let me tell you, Texans are like, ‘Alright, cousin California, do that thing.’”
Born in Oakland, Harris consistently addressed her audience with a sense of kinship. She gave Bay Area shoutouts to the Oakland hospital where she was born and the McDonald’s she worked at in Alameda.
“Bay Area! You know where I’m from!” Harris said. “It’s really good to be home.”
While Harris and Hughley’s back-and-forth conversation often carried a lighthearted energy, Harris also reflected seriously on the 2024 election, the grief that followed her loss and her will to persevere.
“I have not felt a similar kind of grief since my mother died,” Harris said. “But I remain committed to my country. To our country. And that has not changed.”
Hughley asked Harris a number of questions, but it was his occasional, probing pushback on Harris’ talking points that transformed the author talk into a much deeper conversation about the soul of America.
In one instance, Harris spoke about how many former Trump supporters regretted their vote because they felt Trump lied to them about his policies. “We cannot discount that when we talk about who is America,” Harris said. “I really am concerned if we decide that this outcome of this election was a full statement about who we are as Americans.”
Attendees told the Peninsula Press they resonated with Harris’ emphasis on persisting in the face of adversity. For Alisha Palmer, 26, the biggest takeaway from Harris was that “no one can defeat your spirit unless you allow them to.” Brittany Bell, 36, echoed the sentiment.
“It was great to see her doing well and just to give a gleam of hope in the state of the country,” Bell said. “I feel really inspired to just fight, still fight.”
At the end of the event, Hughley returned to the titular topic of discussion: 107 days.
“How many days do you think — or what circumstances could have made — the optimal chance for success?” he asked.
Harris paused, then said, “I don’t know. But I know we needed more time.”
But, Harris said, that window has passed. “Now we’re at this moment in time. And we do have time,” she said. “Let’s not let it go to waste.”
