Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders was met with chants of his name and a large crowd as he took the stage Friday night at Fresno City College. 

The Vermont senator kicked off his rally on the Veterans Peace Memorial Lawn, mostly to discuss climate change and the proposed Green New Deal. 

“We have got to address the terrible levels of pollution that exist here in California and all over the country,” Sanders said. “There are millions of people, including people in this area, who cannot drink the water that comes out of their faucets.”

 Sanders hit on a variety of issues, like the legalization of cannabis and ending the targeting of undocumented immigtants. 

“We will not be separating families, we will not be putting children in cages,” Sanders told a cheering crowd. 

Sanders spoke briefly about the current president and his take on climate change.

“It is a disgrace that we have a president that doesn’t understand the first thing about climate change,” Sanders said. 

He continued to characterize the Trump administration as corrupt, racially and religiously divise and even calling Trump himself homophobic and racist. 

Fresno resident Etienne Hernandez came to the rally accompanied by his wife and their seven-month-old daughter. Hernandez said he brought his whole family to show their support for their favorite candidate, who they believe best represents them and their needs.

Hernandez said he works as a special education teacher but with a newborn child and a recent medical procedure, surgery bills have made it hard to access his wages.He said he believes Sanders is the candidate to make a change for him and his family. 

“Medicare for all is hugely close to me based off the fact that I just recently had surgery and my wife just had a child,” Hernandez said. “We have medical debt on top of student loan debt, and that’s really crippling to me. Bernie just really talks about the main issues that are important to me.”