Brett Kelman

The Desert Sun

Hillary Clinton promised to combat ISIS and spearhead gun safety reforms during a rally Friday night in San Bernardino, the site of the most recent terror-inspired mass shooting on American soil.

During a 30-minute speech, Clinton cited her time as a New York senator during the terror attacks of September 11 and highlighted her advisory role in the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Three times, Clinton spoke directly to the people of San Bernardino, whom she said knew the stakes of national security and gun violence all too well.

“You know, so well here, that the most important responsibility of any president is to be the commander in chief, to keep America safe, and to lead the world in a way that will make us safer,” Clinton said.

She added later: “I want you to know from the bottom of my heart I will do whatever I can to protect America and Americans and do whatever I can to support our brave law enforcement, who were there protecting people right in this city.”

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Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, spoke in front of a crowd of about 950 people at the gymnasium at Cal State University San Bernardino. Her words were a welcome comfort to attendees like Nichole Sutliff, 26, an undecided Democratic voter from nearby Hesperia.

Sutliff believes Clinton is one of the few people who could offer the city what it really needs – reassurance.

“Since what happened here six months ago, this community wants to hear it will be protected,” Sutliff said.

Cathedral City Mayor Pro Tem Greg Pettis, a Democratic superdelegate for California, traveled to San Bernardino Friday to meet with Clinton after her speech.

Pettis, who met with Clinton rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during the senator's May 25 visit to Cathedral City, has said he was undecided about which candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination would get his vote.

After meeting with former Secretary of State Clinton Friday, Pettis said he'd made a decision.

"I will be supporting Secretary Clinton. She spoke specifically to my issues of infrastructure, LGBT rights, women's issues. She showed her leadership and strength," he said.

"I appreciate Sen. Sanders' passion and ability to motivate young people. However reality says we need real leadership and ability to get things done. She can do that," Pettis added. "I'm with her."

Other than her statements on the national security, Clinton gave a familiar speech. She took numerous shots at the divisive rhetoric of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. She promised immigration reform, debt-free college and increased taxes for billionaires.

In promising “common-sense gun safety reform,” Clinton alluded to the San Bernardino attacks again.

“You here in this beautiful city know the horrors and the losses associated with gun violence are just unimaginable,” Clinton said. “Thirty-three thousand people a year are killed by guns. We can do better than this, and we can do it consistent with the constitution.”

Friday's San Bernardino rally took place in the midst of a whirlwind of campaigning by Clinton, who has concentrated her efforts in California during the past week, before the state’s primary election on Tuesday. Over a two-day span, Clinton has spoken at events in San Diego, El Centro, Perris, Culver City and Westminster.

But none of these cities offer the same political backdrop of San Bernardino. In December, a radicalized Islamic couple attacked a county government holiday party held at the city’s Inland Regional Center, killing 14 people.

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Syed Rizwan Farook, a U.S.-born county inspector, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, a Pakistani national, attacked the party with assault rifles and handguns, then fled the building, leaving behind a homemade bomb that failed to detonate. Police then tracked the couple to a home in nearby Redlands, leading to a car chase and gunfight that killed both suspects.

The attacks devastated San Bernardino, a low-income, blue-collar city that has long struggled with pervasive crime, but never experienced violence of this scale. Overnight, San Bernardino became a part of the national debate on domestic terrorism and gun control.

To some, this was a tragedy within itself. Robert Garcia, a longtime CSUSB employee who leads the employee union, said the city's reputation has been taken over by this terrorist incident. Now the country knows San Bernardino for nothing else.

“People really don’t realize what a great place San Bernardino is,” Garcia said. “Hillary coming here gets a chance to sign a positive light on campus and community … I hope all the other candidates come as well.”

Sanders also spent Friday campaigning in California. At a rally in Fairfield, the Vermont senator pointed out examples of how he differs greatly from Clinton over his support for a tax on carbon to curb climate change, her use of super PACs and their conflicting votes on the Iraq war.

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Trump gave a campaign speech in Redding Friday. During the speech, Trump spotted a black supporter in the crowd and -- seeking to show that he has support from members of the black community -- said "Look at my African-American over here!"

Polls have consistently shown that when it comes to support among African-American voters, Trump trails Clinton, his likely general election opponent.

"Oh, look at my African-American over here," an excited Trump said, while pointing into the crowd. "Look at him. Are you the greatest? You know what I'm talking about? OK!"

Note: A previous version of this story included an interview with a rally attendee who suggested Clinton was the only candidate to visit San Bernardino. Sen. Bernie Sanders held a rally in San Bernardino in late May.

Desert Sun reporter Denise Goolsby and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reporter Brett Kelman can be reached at 760 778 4642 or at brett.kelman@desertsun.com. You an follow him on Twitter @TDSbrettkelman.