Crews in San Jose and Vallejo on Tuesday night were gearing up for Bernie Sanders campaign rallies happening Wednesday.
The Democratic presidential hopeful is trailing Hillary Clinton in the race for the nomination and is hoping to win California's June 7 primary to keep his campaign going.
But why these these particular cities?
"We're looking at people, as far as he is concerned, who are blue collar workers and disaffected from the mainstream Democratic party that he thinks he can capture,” says political analyst Larry Gerston.
Peter Brooks of Vallejo says he's not surprised Sanders picked the North Bay city for one of his rallies.
"Vallejo pulled itself out of bankruptcy," Brooks says. "Vallejo is the hottest real estate market; the people in Vallejo care about each other."
Sanders delegate Tom Bilbo agrees, saying the Vermont senator chose Vallejo because of its diversity and ability to pull itself from adversity.
Organizers of the event at the Vallejo Waterfront Park, which starts at 7:30 p.m., expect about 18,000 people to attend. The San Jose rally will take place at 1 p.m. at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
