Gavin Newsom
Encyclopedia
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American
politician
who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California
. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco
, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown
, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007
with 72 percent of the vote. In 2010, Samepoint
released a study that measured the social media influence of mayors around the country, and ranking the top 100 most social mayors. San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom was named the Most Social Mayor in America according to the Samepoint study.
Newsom graduated from Redwood High School
in Larkspur, California
, in 1985, and in 1989 from Santa Clara University
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in political science
. His PlumpJack Wine Shop, founded in 1992, grew into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, and now includes bars, restaurants, and a Lake Tahoe hotel called Squaw Valley Inn. He was first appointed by Willie Brown
to serve on San Francisco's Parking and Traffic Commission in 1996, and was appointed the following year as Supervisor
. Newsom drew voter attention with his Care Not Cash program, designed to move homeless people into city assisted care. He defeated the Green Party's Matt Gonzalez
53% to 47% in a run-off in his race for mayor in 2003, becoming the youngest mayor of San Francisco since John W. Geary
.
In March 2010, he announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor
, setting off speculation about possible successors if he were to win. In June 2010, he received the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Newsom won the 2010 lieutenant governor election
on November 2, 2010.
, was a pioneer scientist in the field of nephrology
and a professor of medicine at Stanford University
. His father William Newsom
is a retired state appeal
s court Justice. Newsom's parents separated when he was two and divorced in 1972, and at age 10 Newsom moved with his mother, Tessa, and sister to nearby Marin County
. In May 2002, Tessa (Menzies) Newsom died after a five-year fight with breast cancer
.
Newsom later reflected that he did not have an easy childhood. Newsom attended kindergarten and first grade at the French-American bilingual school in San Francisco but transferred because of severe dyslexia
that still affects him. His dyslexia has made it difficult for him to write, spell, read, and work with numbers. He attended third through fifth grades at Notre Dame des Victoires, where he was placed in remedial reading classes. Newsom graduated from Redwood High School in 1985. He played basketball and baseball in high school. Newsom was an outfielder in baseball. His basketball skills placed him on the cover of the Marin Independent Journal. Newsom's childhood friend Derek Smith recalled Newsom as "one of the hardest working players on the team who became a great player because of his effort, instead of his natural abilities." Newsom's father attended his games with San Francisco politicians that included John Burton
and Quentin Kopp. Newsom's father had ties to several other local politicians. Newsom's aunt was married to the brother-in-law of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi
. Newsom's father was also a friend of Governor Jerry Brown
.
Tessa Newsom worked three jobs to support Gavin and his sister Hilary Newsom Callan. In an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, his sister recalled Christmas holidays when their mother told them there wouldn't be any gifts. Despite limited finances, Tessa opened their home to foster children, instilling in Newsom the importance of public service. His father's finances were strapped in part because of his father's tendency to give away his earnings. Newsom worked several jobs in high school to help support his family.
Newsom attended Santa Clara University
on a partial baseball scholarship and student loans, where he graduated in 1989 with a B.A.
in political science
. Newsom was a left-handed pitcher for Santa Clara but he threw his arm out after two years and hasn't thrown a baseball since. He lived in the Alameda apartments which Newsom later compared to living in a hotel. He later reflected on his education fondly, crediting the Socratic approach of Santa Clara that he said has helped him become an independent thinker who questions orthodoxy. Newsom spent a semester studying abroad in Rome.
On June 14, 1991, Newsom and his investors created the company PlumpJack Associates L.P. In 1992, the group started the PlumpJack Wine Shop on Fillmore Street in San Francisco with the financial help of his family friend Gordon Getty
. PlumpJack was the name of an opera written by Getty, who invested in 10 of Newsom's 11 businesses. Getty told the San Francisco Chronicle that he treated Newsom like a son and invested in his first business venture because of that relationship. According to Getty, later business investments were because of "the success of the first." At the PlumpJack Cafe, Newsom gave a monthly $50 gift certificate to employees whose business ideas failed because according to him in 1997: "There can be no success without failure."
One of Newsom's early interactions with government occurred when Newsom resisted the San Francisco Health Department requirement to install a sink at his PlumpJack Wines. The Health Department argued that wine was a food. The department required the store to install a $27,000 sink in the carpeted wine shop on the grounds that the shop needed the sink for a mop. When Newsom was later appointed Supervisor, he told the San Francisco Examiner: "That's the kind of bureaucratic malaise I'm going to be working through."
The business grew to an enterprise with over 700 employees. The PlumpJack Cafe Partners L.P. opened the PlumpJack Cafe, also on Fillmore Street, in 1993. Between 1993 and 2000, Newsom and his investors opened several other businesses that included the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn with a PlumpJack Cafe (1994), the Napa Valley
winery
(1995), the Balboa Cafe Bar and Grill (1995), the PlumpJack Development Fund L.P. (1996), the MatrixFillmore Bar (1998), PlumpJack Wines shop Noe Valley branch (1999), PlumpJackSport retail clothing (2000), and a second Balboa Cafe at Squaw Valley (2000). Newsom's investments included five restaurants and two retail clothing stores. Newsom's annual income was greater than $429,000 from 1996 to 2001. In 2002, his business holdings were valued at more than $6.9 million.
Newsom sold his share of his San Francisco businesses when he became mayor in 2004. He maintained his ownership in the PlumpJack companies outside San Francisco that included the PlumpJack Winery in Oakville, California, new PlumpJack-owned Cade Winery in Angwin, California and the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. He is currently the president in absentia of Airelle Wines Inc., which is connected to the PlumpJack Winery in Napa County. Newsom earned between $141,000 and $251,000 in 2007 from his business interests. In February 2006 he paid $2,350,000 for his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood, which he put on the market in April 2009 for $2,995,000.
seat vacated by Kevin Shelley. At the time, he became the youngest member of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors and also the board's only heterosexual Caucasian male. Newsom was sworn in by his father and pledged to bring his business experience to the Board. Willie Brown called Newsom "part of the future generation of leaders of this great city." Newsom described himself as a "social liberal and a fiscal watchdog." Newsom was subsequently elected to a full, 4 year term to the Board in 1998.
In 1999, San Francisco's voters chose to exchange at-large elections to the Board for the previous district system, and Newsom was reelected in 2000 and 2002 to represent District 2, which includes the Pacific Heights, Marina, Cow Hollow, Sea Cliff, and Laurel Heights. He faced no opposition in his 2002 reelection. His district had the highest income level and the highest Republican registration in San Francisco. Newsom also had author Danielle Steel
and actor Robin Williams
as constituents. In 2000, Newsom paid $500 to the San Francisco Republican Party to be on the party's endorsement slate.
As Supervisor, Newsom gained public attention for his role in advocating reform of the city's Municipal Railway (Muni)
. He was one of two supervisors endorsed by Rescue Muni
, a transit riders group, in his 1998 reelection. He sponsored Proposition B to require Muni and other city departments to develop detailed customer service plans. The measure passed with 56.6% of the vote. Newsom sponsored a ballot measure from Rescue Muni; a version of the measure was approved by voters in November 1999.
Newsom also supported allowing restaurants to serve alcohol at their outdoor tables, banning tobacco advertisements visible from the streets, stiffer penalties for landlords, and a resolution to commend Colin Powell
for raising money for youth programs that was defeated. Newsom's support for business interests at times strained his relationship with labor leaders.
During Newsom's time as Supervisor, he was pro-development and for smart growth along with being "anti-handout." He supported housing projects through public-private partnerships to increase home ownership and affordable housing in San Francisco. Newsom supported HOPE, a failed local ballot measure that would have allowed increased condo-conversion rate if a certain percentage of tenants within a building were buying their units. As a candidate for Mayor, he supported building 10,000 new housing units to create 15,000 new construction jobs.
As Supervisor, the centerpiece of Newsom's efforts was a voter initiative called "Care Not Cash
(Measure N)," which offered care, supportive housing, drug treatment, and help from behavior health specialists for the homeless instead of direct cash aid from the state's General Assistance
program. Many homeless rights advocates protested against Care Not Cash. The successfully passed ballot measure raised the political profile of Gavin Newsom and provided the volunteers, donors, and campaign staff, which helped make him a leading contender for the Mayorship in 2003.
's 19.6 in the first round of balloting, but he faced a closer race in the December 9 runoff when many of the city's liberal groups coalesced around the campaign of Gonzalez. The race was partisan with attacks against Gonzalez for his support of Ralph Nader
in the 2000 presidential election and attacks against Newsom for contributing $500 to a Republican slate mailer in 2000 that endorsed issues Newsom supported. Democratic leadership felt that they needed to reinforce San Francisco as a Democratic stronghold after losing the 2000 presidential election and the 2003 recall election
to Arnold Schwarzenegger
. National figures from the Democratic Party, including Bill Clinton
, Al Gore
, and Jesse Jackson
, campaigned on Newsom's behalf. Five supervisors endorsed Gonzalez while Newsom received the endorsement of Willie Brown.
Newsom won the run-off race, capturing 53 percent of the vote to Gonzalez's 47 percent, and winning by about 11,000 votes. Newsom ran as a business friendly centrist Democrat and a moderate in San Francisco politics; some of his opponents called him conservative. Newsom claimed he was a centrist in the Dianne Feinstein
mold. He ran on the slogan "great cities, great ideas" and presented over 21 policy papers. Newsom pledged to continue working on San Francisco's homelessness issue. Newsom was sworn in as Mayor on January 3, 2004. He called for unity among the city's political factions and promised to address the issues of potholes, public schools, and affordable housing. Newsom said he was "a different kind of leader who "isn't afraid to solve even the toughest problems."
and Chris Daly
considered running against Newsom but both declined. Matt Gonzalez also decided not to challenge Newsom. When the August 10, 2007 filing deadline passed, the discussion around San Francisco shifted to talk about Newsom's second term. He was challenged in the election by 13 challengers that included George Davis, a nudist activist, and Michael Powers, owner of the Power Exchange sex club. Conservative former Supervisor Tony Hall withdrew by early September due to lack of support. The San Francisco Chronicle declared in August 2007 that Newsom faced no "serious threat to his re-election bid." Newsom raised $1.6 million for his re-election campaign by early August. He won re-election on November 6, 2007 with over 72% of the vote. Upon taking office for a second term, Newsom promised to focus on the environment, homelessness, health care, education, housing and rebuilding San Francisco General Hospital
.
, although it could not actually join a treaty between sovereign states. In 2004, Newsom gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriage
licenses to same-sex couples
, in violation of the current state law. In August 2004, the Supreme Court of California
annulled the marriages that Newsom had authorized, as they conflicted with state law at that time. Still, Newsom's unexpected move brought national attention to the issues of gay marriage and gay rights, solidifying political support for Newsom in San Francisco and in the gay community.
In 2009 he received the Leadership for Healthy Communities Award along with mayor Michael Bloomberg
of New York City and three other public officials for his commitment to making healthy food and physical activity options more accessible to children and families. For example, in 2008, he hosted the Urban Rural Roundtable to explore ways to promote regional food development and increased access to healthy affordable food, and he secured $8 million in federal and local funds for the Better Streets program, which ensures that public health perspectives are fully integrated into urban planning processes. He also signed a menu-labeling bill into law, requiring that chain restaurants print nutrition information on their menus.
, the ballot initiative to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.
In the months leading up to Election Day, Proposition 8 supporters released a commercial featuring Newsom saying the following words in a speech regarding same-sex marriage: "This door's wide open now. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not." Some observers noted that polls shifted in favor of Proposition 8 following the release of the commercial; this, in turn, led to speculation that Newsom unwittingly played a role in the passage of the amendment. Newsom was recently named America's Most Social Mayor by Samepoint.com, based on analysis of the Social Media profile of Mayors from the top 100 largest cities in the United States.
licenses to same-sex couples
, in violation of the current state law. In August 2004, the Supreme Court of California
annulled the marriages that Newsom had authorized, as they conflicted with state law at that time. Still, Newsom's unexpected move brought national attention to the issues of gay marriage and gay rights, solidifying political support for Newsom in San Francisco and in the gay community.
In January 2007, it was revealed that Newsom had had a romantic relationship in mid-2005 with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his former deputy chief of staff and then campaign manager, Alex Tourk. Tourk filed for divorce shortly after the revelation and left Newsom's campaign and administration.
In 2009, Newsom came under attack for the City of San Francisco's policy of illegally harboring juvenile criminal aliens. The city was circumventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement by harboring or sending the aliens back to their own native countries.
by more than 20 points in most polls. In October 2009, Newsom dropped out of the gubernatorial race.
In February 2010 Newsom filed initial paperwork to run for Lieutenant Governor
, and officially announced his candidacy in March. He received the Democratic nomination in June, and won the election on November 2, 2010.
Newsom was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, on January 10, 2011. The one-week delay was to ensure that a successor as mayor of San Francisco was chosen before he left office. Edwin M. Lee
, the city administrator, took office the day after Newsom was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor.
Newsom was baptized and reared Roman Catholic. He describes himself as an "Irish-Catholic rebel...in some respects, but one that still has tremendous admiration for the Church and very strong faith." When asked about the current state of the Catholic Church in an interview, he said the church was in crisis. Newsom said he stays with the Church because of his "strong connection to a greater purpose, and ... higher being ..." Newsom identifies himself as a practicing Roman Catholic, stating that he has a "strong sense of faith that is perennial: day in and day out."
In December 2001, Newsom married Kimberly Guilfoyle
, a former San Francisco prosecutor
and legal commentator for Court TV
, CNN
, and MSNBC
, and who now hosts The Lineup and also appears on various other shows, including The O'Reilly Factor
on Fox News Channel
. The couple married at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church
on the campus of the University of San Francisco
, where Guilfoyle attended law school. The couple appeared in the September 2004 issue of Harper's Bazaar
, a fashion magazine, in a spread of them at the Getty mansion with the title the "New Kennedys." In January 2005 they jointly filed for divorce, citing "difficulties due to their careers on opposite coasts."
In January 2007, it was revealed that Newsom had had a romantic relationship in mid-2005 with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his former deputy chief of staff and then campaign manager, Alex Tourk. Tourk filed for divorce shortly after the revelation and left Newsom's campaign and administration.
Newsom's sexual encounters with the wife of his campaign manager and "Great Friend" impacted his popularity with male voters, who viewed his indiscretions as a betrayal of a close friend and ally.
In September 2006, Newsom began dating actress Jennifer Siebel
after being set up for a blind date by mutual friend, Kathy Wilsey. In December 2007 their engagement was announced, and they were married in Stevensville, Montana, in July 2008. In February 2009, they announced that they were expecting a child. In September, Siebel gave birth to a girl, Montana Tessa Newsom. In December 2010 they announced that they were expecting a second child, a son, due June 19, 2011, Siebel's birthday. Siebel gave birth to a son, Hunter Siebel Newsom, on June 12, 2011.
Newsom is the second cousin, twice removed, of musician Joanna Newsom
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco
Mayor of San Francisco
The Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of San Francisco's city and county government. The mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch....
, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown
Willie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007
San Francisco mayoral election, 2007
The 2007 San Francisco mayoral election occurred on November 6, 2007. Voters elected a Mayor of San Francisco and several local officials. Incumbent Mayor Gavin Newsom was re-elected by a good margin...
with 72 percent of the vote. In 2010, Samepoint
Samepoint
Samepoint, LLC is a social media API aggregation and monitoring company. Headquartered in New York, NY, it provides data from thousands of social media websites via one API. These social media sources includes, but are not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Internet forum...
released a study that measured the social media influence of mayors around the country, and ranking the top 100 most social mayors. San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom was named the Most Social Mayor in America according to the Samepoint study.
Newsom graduated from Redwood High School
Redwood High School (Larkspur, California)
Redwood High School is a public secondary school located in the city of Larkspur, Marin County, California, approximately 11 miles north of San Francisco. Redwood High is part of the Tamalpais Union High School District...
in Larkspur, California
Larkspur, California
Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that...
, in 1985, and in 1989 from Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. His PlumpJack Wine Shop, founded in 1992, grew into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, and now includes bars, restaurants, and a Lake Tahoe hotel called Squaw Valley Inn. He was first appointed by Willie Brown
Willie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
to serve on San Francisco's Parking and Traffic Commission in 1996, and was appointed the following year as Supervisor
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
. Newsom drew voter attention with his Care Not Cash program, designed to move homeless people into city assisted care. He defeated the Green Party's Matt Gonzalez
Matt Gonzalez
Matthew Edward Gonzalez is an American politician, lawyer, and activist prominent in San Francisco politics. He currently serves as chief attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender's office....
53% to 47% in a run-off in his race for mayor in 2003, becoming the youngest mayor of San Francisco since John W. Geary
John W. Geary
John White Geary was an American lawyer, politician, Freemason, and a Union general in the American Civil War...
.
In March 2010, he announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
, setting off speculation about possible successors if he were to win. In June 2010, he received the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Newsom won the 2010 lieutenant governor election
California lieutenant governor election, 2010
- Others :- Democratic primary :-General election:- General results :- Official campaign Web sites :**********...
on November 2, 2010.
Early life
Newsom is a fourth-generation San Franciscan; his paternal great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland in 1865. One of his maternal great-grandfathers, Scotsman Thomas AddisThomas Addis
Thomas Addis was a physician-scientist who made important contributions to the understanding of how blood clots. He was a pioneer in the field of nephrology, the branch of internal medicine that deals with diseases of the kidney...
, was a pioneer scientist in the field of nephrology
Nephrology
Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.-Scope of the specialty:...
and a professor of medicine at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His father William Newsom
William Newsom
William Alfred Newsom III is a retired state appeals court judge, administrator of the Getty family trust, and the father of former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom....
is a retired state appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s court Justice. Newsom's parents separated when he was two and divorced in 1972, and at age 10 Newsom moved with his mother, Tessa, and sister to nearby Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
. In May 2002, Tessa (Menzies) Newsom died after a five-year fight with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.
Newsom later reflected that he did not have an easy childhood. Newsom attended kindergarten and first grade at the French-American bilingual school in San Francisco but transferred because of severe dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
that still affects him. His dyslexia has made it difficult for him to write, spell, read, and work with numbers. He attended third through fifth grades at Notre Dame des Victoires, where he was placed in remedial reading classes. Newsom graduated from Redwood High School in 1985. He played basketball and baseball in high school. Newsom was an outfielder in baseball. His basketball skills placed him on the cover of the Marin Independent Journal. Newsom's childhood friend Derek Smith recalled Newsom as "one of the hardest working players on the team who became a great player because of his effort, instead of his natural abilities." Newsom's father attended his games with San Francisco politicians that included John Burton
John L. Burton
John Lowell Burton is the current Chairman of the California Democratic Party. He is an American politician who served as a Democratic California State Senator from 1996 until 2004, representing the 3rd district. From 1998 until he was forced out of office by term limits in 2004, he served as the...
and Quentin Kopp. Newsom's father had ties to several other local politicians. Newsom's aunt was married to the brother-in-law of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
. Newsom's father was also a friend of Governor Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
.
Tessa Newsom worked three jobs to support Gavin and his sister Hilary Newsom Callan. In an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, his sister recalled Christmas holidays when their mother told them there wouldn't be any gifts. Despite limited finances, Tessa opened their home to foster children, instilling in Newsom the importance of public service. His father's finances were strapped in part because of his father's tendency to give away his earnings. Newsom worked several jobs in high school to help support his family.
Newsom attended Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
on a partial baseball scholarship and student loans, where he graduated in 1989 with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. Newsom was a left-handed pitcher for Santa Clara but he threw his arm out after two years and hasn't thrown a baseball since. He lived in the Alameda apartments which Newsom later compared to living in a hotel. He later reflected on his education fondly, crediting the Socratic approach of Santa Clara that he said has helped him become an independent thinker who questions orthodoxy. Newsom spent a semester studying abroad in Rome.
Business career
Newsom's first job out of college was selling podiatric orthotics. He later worked for real estate firm Shorenstein & Company, where he worked as an assistant and performed a range of jobs that included cleaning bathrooms and removing asbestos. He earned US$18,000 per year. Newsom also earned a real estate license.On June 14, 1991, Newsom and his investors created the company PlumpJack Associates L.P. In 1992, the group started the PlumpJack Wine Shop on Fillmore Street in San Francisco with the financial help of his family friend Gordon Getty
Gordon Getty
Gordon Peter Getty was born on December 20, 1934. He is the fourth child of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. His mother, Ann Rork, was his father's third wife. When his father died in 1976, Gordon assumed control of Getty's US$2 billion trust...
. PlumpJack was the name of an opera written by Getty, who invested in 10 of Newsom's 11 businesses. Getty told the San Francisco Chronicle that he treated Newsom like a son and invested in his first business venture because of that relationship. According to Getty, later business investments were because of "the success of the first." At the PlumpJack Cafe, Newsom gave a monthly $50 gift certificate to employees whose business ideas failed because according to him in 1997: "There can be no success without failure."
One of Newsom's early interactions with government occurred when Newsom resisted the San Francisco Health Department requirement to install a sink at his PlumpJack Wines. The Health Department argued that wine was a food. The department required the store to install a $27,000 sink in the carpeted wine shop on the grounds that the shop needed the sink for a mop. When Newsom was later appointed Supervisor, he told the San Francisco Examiner: "That's the kind of bureaucratic malaise I'm going to be working through."
The business grew to an enterprise with over 700 employees. The PlumpJack Cafe Partners L.P. opened the PlumpJack Cafe, also on Fillmore Street, in 1993. Between 1993 and 2000, Newsom and his investors opened several other businesses that included the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn with a PlumpJack Cafe (1994), the Napa Valley
Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
winery
PlumpJack Winery
PlumpJack Winery is a boutique winery in Oakville, California specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon wines. PlumpJack was the first winery in Napa Valley to use screwcaps as a wine closure on super premium wines. The winery is one of several businesses operated by the PlumpJack Group...
(1995), the Balboa Cafe Bar and Grill (1995), the PlumpJack Development Fund L.P. (1996), the MatrixFillmore Bar (1998), PlumpJack Wines shop Noe Valley branch (1999), PlumpJackSport retail clothing (2000), and a second Balboa Cafe at Squaw Valley (2000). Newsom's investments included five restaurants and two retail clothing stores. Newsom's annual income was greater than $429,000 from 1996 to 2001. In 2002, his business holdings were valued at more than $6.9 million.
Newsom sold his share of his San Francisco businesses when he became mayor in 2004. He maintained his ownership in the PlumpJack companies outside San Francisco that included the PlumpJack Winery in Oakville, California, new PlumpJack-owned Cade Winery in Angwin, California and the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. He is currently the president in absentia of Airelle Wines Inc., which is connected to the PlumpJack Winery in Napa County. Newsom earned between $141,000 and $251,000 in 2007 from his business interests. In February 2006 he paid $2,350,000 for his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood, which he put on the market in April 2009 for $2,995,000.
Early political career
Newsom's first political experience came when he volunteered for Willie Brown's campaign for mayor in 1995. Newsom hosted a private fundraiser at his PlumpJack Cafe. In 1996, he was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to a vacant seat on the Parking and Traffic Commission and was later elected president of the commission. In 1997, Brown appointed him to the San Francisco Board of SupervisorsSan Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
seat vacated by Kevin Shelley. At the time, he became the youngest member of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors and also the board's only heterosexual Caucasian male. Newsom was sworn in by his father and pledged to bring his business experience to the Board. Willie Brown called Newsom "part of the future generation of leaders of this great city." Newsom described himself as a "social liberal and a fiscal watchdog." Newsom was subsequently elected to a full, 4 year term to the Board in 1998.
In 1999, San Francisco's voters chose to exchange at-large elections to the Board for the previous district system, and Newsom was reelected in 2000 and 2002 to represent District 2, which includes the Pacific Heights, Marina, Cow Hollow, Sea Cliff, and Laurel Heights. He faced no opposition in his 2002 reelection. His district had the highest income level and the highest Republican registration in San Francisco. Newsom also had author Danielle Steel
Danielle Steel
Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel , better known as Danielle Steel, is an American romantic novelist and author of mainstream dramas....
and actor Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
as constituents. In 2000, Newsom paid $500 to the San Francisco Republican Party to be on the party's endorsement slate.
As Supervisor, Newsom gained public attention for his role in advocating reform of the city's Municipal Railway (Muni)
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
. He was one of two supervisors endorsed by Rescue Muni
Rescue Muni
Rescue Muni was founded in 1996 by transit riders in the U.S. city of San Francisco seeking to improve the reliability, service, and safety of the San Francisco Municipal Railway...
, a transit riders group, in his 1998 reelection. He sponsored Proposition B to require Muni and other city departments to develop detailed customer service plans. The measure passed with 56.6% of the vote. Newsom sponsored a ballot measure from Rescue Muni; a version of the measure was approved by voters in November 1999.
Newsom also supported allowing restaurants to serve alcohol at their outdoor tables, banning tobacco advertisements visible from the streets, stiffer penalties for landlords, and a resolution to commend Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
for raising money for youth programs that was defeated. Newsom's support for business interests at times strained his relationship with labor leaders.
During Newsom's time as Supervisor, he was pro-development and for smart growth along with being "anti-handout." He supported housing projects through public-private partnerships to increase home ownership and affordable housing in San Francisco. Newsom supported HOPE, a failed local ballot measure that would have allowed increased condo-conversion rate if a certain percentage of tenants within a building were buying their units. As a candidate for Mayor, he supported building 10,000 new housing units to create 15,000 new construction jobs.
As Supervisor, the centerpiece of Newsom's efforts was a voter initiative called "Care Not Cash
Care Not Cash
Care Not Cash was a San Francisco ballot measure approved by the voters in November 2002. Primarily sponsored by Gavin Newsom, then a San Francisco supervisor, it was designed to cut the money given in the General Assistance programs to homeless people in exchange for shelters and other forms of...
(Measure N)," which offered care, supportive housing, drug treatment, and help from behavior health specialists for the homeless instead of direct cash aid from the state's General Assistance
General Assistance
General Assistance is a term used in the United States to denote welfare programs that benefit adults without dependents as opposed to families with children, who receive assistance from the federal program formerly known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and, since 1996,...
program. Many homeless rights advocates protested against Care Not Cash. The successfully passed ballot measure raised the political profile of Gavin Newsom and provided the volunteers, donors, and campaign staff, which helped make him a leading contender for the Mayorship in 2003.
2003
Newsom placed first in the November 4, 2003 general election in a nine-person field. Newsom received 41.9 percent of the vote to Green Party candidate Matt GonzalezMatt Gonzalez
Matthew Edward Gonzalez is an American politician, lawyer, and activist prominent in San Francisco politics. He currently serves as chief attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender's office....
's 19.6 in the first round of balloting, but he faced a closer race in the December 9 runoff when many of the city's liberal groups coalesced around the campaign of Gonzalez. The race was partisan with attacks against Gonzalez for his support of Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
in the 2000 presidential election and attacks against Newsom for contributing $500 to a Republican slate mailer in 2000 that endorsed issues Newsom supported. Democratic leadership felt that they needed to reinforce San Francisco as a Democratic stronghold after losing the 2000 presidential election and the 2003 recall election
California recall election, 2003
The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003...
to Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
. National figures from the Democratic Party, including Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, and Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, campaigned on Newsom's behalf. Five supervisors endorsed Gonzalez while Newsom received the endorsement of Willie Brown.
Newsom won the run-off race, capturing 53 percent of the vote to Gonzalez's 47 percent, and winning by about 11,000 votes. Newsom ran as a business friendly centrist Democrat and a moderate in San Francisco politics; some of his opponents called him conservative. Newsom claimed he was a centrist in the Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
mold. He ran on the slogan "great cities, great ideas" and presented over 21 policy papers. Newsom pledged to continue working on San Francisco's homelessness issue. Newsom was sworn in as Mayor on January 3, 2004. He called for unity among the city's political factions and promised to address the issues of potholes, public schools, and affordable housing. Newsom said he was "a different kind of leader who "isn't afraid to solve even the toughest problems."
2007
San Francisco's progressive community attempted to find a candidate to run a strong campaign against Newsom. Supervisors Ross MirkarimiRoss Mirkarimi
Ross Mirkarimi is a member of the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, California, a marijuana legalization advocate, and co-founder of the Green Party of California. He was elected in 2004 to represent District 5...
and Chris Daly
Chris Daly
Chris Daly is a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He represented District 6, on which he served from 2000 to 2010...
considered running against Newsom but both declined. Matt Gonzalez also decided not to challenge Newsom. When the August 10, 2007 filing deadline passed, the discussion around San Francisco shifted to talk about Newsom's second term. He was challenged in the election by 13 challengers that included George Davis, a nudist activist, and Michael Powers, owner of the Power Exchange sex club. Conservative former Supervisor Tony Hall withdrew by early September due to lack of support. The San Francisco Chronicle declared in August 2007 that Newsom faced no "serious threat to his re-election bid." Newsom raised $1.6 million for his re-election campaign by early August. He won re-election on November 6, 2007 with over 72% of the vote. Upon taking office for a second term, Newsom promised to focus on the environment, homelessness, health care, education, housing and rebuilding San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco General Hospital is the main public hospital in San Francisco, California, and the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County...
.
Mayoralty
As mayor, Newsom has focused on development projects in Hunters Point and Treasure Island. He signed the Health Choices Plan in 2007 to provide San Francisco residents with universal healthcare. Under Newsom, San Francisco ostensibly joined the Kyoto ProtocolKyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
, although it could not actually join a treaty between sovereign states. In 2004, Newsom gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
licenses to same-sex couples
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, in violation of the current state law. In August 2004, the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
annulled the marriages that Newsom had authorized, as they conflicted with state law at that time. Still, Newsom's unexpected move brought national attention to the issues of gay marriage and gay rights, solidifying political support for Newsom in San Francisco and in the gay community.
In 2009 he received the Leadership for Healthy Communities Award along with mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
of New York City and three other public officials for his commitment to making healthy food and physical activity options more accessible to children and families. For example, in 2008, he hosted the Urban Rural Roundtable to explore ways to promote regional food development and increased access to healthy affordable food, and he secured $8 million in federal and local funds for the Better Streets program, which ensures that public health perspectives are fully integrated into urban planning processes. He also signed a menu-labeling bill into law, requiring that chain restaurants print nutrition information on their menus.
Proposition 8
During the 2008 election, Newsom was a prominent and vocal opponent of Proposition 8California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
, the ballot initiative to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.
In the months leading up to Election Day, Proposition 8 supporters released a commercial featuring Newsom saying the following words in a speech regarding same-sex marriage: "This door's wide open now. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not." Some observers noted that polls shifted in favor of Proposition 8 following the release of the commercial; this, in turn, led to speculation that Newsom unwittingly played a role in the passage of the amendment. Newsom was recently named America's Most Social Mayor by Samepoint.com, based on analysis of the Social Media profile of Mayors from the top 100 largest cities in the United States.
Controversies
In 2004, Newsom gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriageSame-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
licenses to same-sex couples
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, in violation of the current state law. In August 2004, the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
annulled the marriages that Newsom had authorized, as they conflicted with state law at that time. Still, Newsom's unexpected move brought national attention to the issues of gay marriage and gay rights, solidifying political support for Newsom in San Francisco and in the gay community.
In January 2007, it was revealed that Newsom had had a romantic relationship in mid-2005 with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his former deputy chief of staff and then campaign manager, Alex Tourk. Tourk filed for divorce shortly after the revelation and left Newsom's campaign and administration.
In 2009, Newsom came under attack for the City of San Francisco's policy of illegally harboring juvenile criminal aliens. The city was circumventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement by harboring or sending the aliens back to their own native countries.
Lieutenant Governor
In April 2009, Newsom announced his intention to run for Governor of California in the 2010 Election. In September 2009, he received the endorsement of former president Bill Clinton. During the campaign, Newsom remarked that, if elected, he'd like to be referred to as "The Gavinator" (a reference to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's nickname, "The Governator"). Throughout the campaign, however, Newsom suffered low poll numbers, trailing Democratic front-runner Jerry BrownJerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
by more than 20 points in most polls. In October 2009, Newsom dropped out of the gubernatorial race.
In February 2010 Newsom filed initial paperwork to run for Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms...
, and officially announced his candidacy in March. He received the Democratic nomination in June, and won the election on November 2, 2010.
Newsom was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, on January 10, 2011. The one-week delay was to ensure that a successor as mayor of San Francisco was chosen before he left office. Edwin M. Lee
Edwin M. Lee
Edwin Mah Lee is the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco, California. He was appointed by the Board of Supervisors on January 11, 2011 to serve out the remainder of former mayor Gavin Newsom's term, after Newsom resigned to take office as Lieutenant Governor of California. At the time of his appointment...
, the city administrator, took office the day after Newsom was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor.
Personal life
In December 2001, Newsom married Kimberly Guilfoyle
Kimberly Guilfoyle
Kimberly Guilfoyle is an American cable news personality and is currently one of the rotating co-hosts on The Five on Fox News Channel at 5 pm EST , as well as the host of an Internet-only crime-related program for Fox News...
, a former San Francisco prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
and legal commentator for Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, and who now hosts The Lineup and also appears on various other shows, including The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
on Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. The couple married at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church
Saint Ignatius Church (San Francisco)
Saint Ignatius Church is a church on the campus of the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California, USA. The church serves a parish of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco and is the university's chapel...
on the campus of the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
, where Guilfoyle attended law school. The couple appeared in the September 2004 issue of Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, a fashion magazine, in a spread of them at the Getty mansion with the title the "New Kennedys." In January 2005 they jointly filed for divorce, citing "difficulties due to their careers on opposite coasts."
In January 2007, it was revealed that Newsom had had a romantic relationship in mid-2005 with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his former deputy chief of staff and then campaign manager, Alex Tourk. Tourk filed for divorce shortly after the revelation and left Newsom's campaign and administration.
Newsom's sexual encounters with the wife of his campaign manager and "Great Friend" impacted his popularity with male voters, who viewed his indiscretions as a betrayal of a close friend and ally.
In September 2006, Newsom began dating actress Jennifer Siebel
Jennifer Siebel
Jennifer Lynn Siebel is an American documentary filmmaker, actress and the wife of former San Francisco Mayor and current Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom. She is the director, writer and producer of the film Miss Representation, which premiered in the documentary competition at the...
after being set up for a blind date by mutual friend, Kathy Wilsey. In December 2007 their engagement was announced, and they were married in Stevensville, Montana, in July 2008. In February 2009, they announced that they were expecting a child. In September, Siebel gave birth to a girl, Montana Tessa Newsom. In December 2010 they announced that they were expecting a second child, a son, due June 19, 2011, Siebel's birthday. Siebel gave birth to a son, Hunter Siebel Newsom, on June 12, 2011.
Newsom is the second cousin, twice removed, of musician Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom is an American harpist, pianist and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.- Early life :Newsom grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California...
.
External links
- Office of Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom
- Newsom's official campaign website
- CityMayors profile about Gavin Newsom
- Gavin Newsom debates Maggie Gallagher on gay marriage in a May 2009 interactive debate from NOW on PBS Online