- In full:
- Gavin Christopher Newsom
- Born:
- October 10, 1967, San Francisco, California, U.S. (age 59)
- Title / Office:
- governor (2019-), California
- mayor (2004-2011), San Francisco
- Notable Works:
- âThis Is Gavin Newsomâ
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Kimberly Guilfoyle
Gavin Newsom
How long has Gavin Newsom been governor of California?
When will Gavin Newsomâs term as governor end?
What was Prop 50 and Gavin Newsomâs role in it?
Who is Gavin Newsomâs wife?
News •
Gavin Newsom (born October 10, 1967, San Francisco, California, U.S.) is an American Democratic politician who is the governor of California (2019â ). He previously served as lieutenant governor of the state (2011â19) and as mayor of San Francisco (2004â11).
Early life and education
Newsom was the eldest of two children born to Tessa (Thomas Menzies) Newsom and William Alfred Newsom III. His father was a lawyer who later served as an appellate court justice. In 1972 Gavin Newsomâs parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother, who held multiple jobs. He struggled in school due to severe dyslexia, a condition with which he was diagnosed at age five. However, Newsom was gifted at sports and later attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship. He was a pitcher for the schoolâs team until an arm injury ended his career during his sophomore year. In 1989 he graduated with a bachelorâs degree in political science.
PlumpJack and early political career
In 1992 Newsom opened PlumpJack Winery, a store in San Francisco. One of his investors was family friend Gordon P. Getty, the son of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. The venture proved highly profitable, and Newsom expanded it to include bars, wineries, restaurants, and hotels. The various enterprises made him a millionaire. During this time he became involved in politics. Newsom served as a city supervisor in San Francisco, and in 1995 he was a volunteer on Willie Brownâs successful campaign for mayor.
Brown became a mentor to Newsom, whom he appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 1997. In that position Newsom was known for supporting measures that took a tough stance on homelessness, a major problem in the city. He notably sponsored Care Not Cash, a program that reduced monthly payments to homeless individuals and instead provided housing. Although controversial, it was approved by voters in 2002. The initiative was later shown to be successful. There was a significant decrease in payments as homeless residents were placed in shelters or permanent housing. The city used the savings to increase funding for mental health and substance abuse services as well as to create more living spaces. The homeless crisis continued, however, largely because of the continual arrival of homeless people to the city.
Mayor of San Francisco
In 2003 Newsom ran for mayor of San Francisco. At the time the city was still struggling with the aftermath of the dot-com crisis of 2000. He ran on a business-friendly platform that led some to characterize him as a moderate. Well funded and backed by the party establishmentâincluding the term-limited BrownâNewsom won the most votes in the general election but failed to secure the required majority. In the runoff he faced Green Party candidate Matt Gonzalez. The race was contentious, but Newsom ultimately prevailed, defeating Gonzalez by six percentage points.
â˘Who survives a political scandal?
Shortly after taking office in 2004, Newsom made national news when he authorized city officials to issue same-sex marriage licenses, in defiance of state law. While he faced criticism, his decision was ultimately vindicated as same-sex marriages later became legal across the country in 2015. He pursued other traditionally liberal policies, perhaps most notably Healthy San Francisco (2006), a program that provides universal health care to residents of the city. However, on economic issues Newsom largely adopted a more moderate approach. He offered tax incentives to lure businesses to San Francisco and supported development projects, though he did side with striking hotel workers in 2004â06.
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Governor of California
Election and COVID-19
In 2009 Newsom announced that he was running for governor of California, but months later he dropped out of the race after failing to gain momentum. However, the following year he entered the race for lieutenant governor. (In California the governor and lieutenant governor run on separate tickets.) Widely seen as the front-runner throughout the campaign, he was easily elected. Newsom took office in 2011, serving under Gov. Jerry Brown. Both were reelected in 2014. With Brown constitutionally barred from seeking another term, Newsom entered the 2018 gubernatorial race. His campaign platform included affordable housing and universal health care. He coasted to victory in the general election, receiving nearly 62 percent of the votes.
Newsom was sworn into office in 2019. One of his early acts was to place a moratorium on executions, defying several approved propositions that supported the death penalty and placed limits on appeals. In 2026, during his second term, he continued his opposition to executions by commuting the sentences of 548 prisoners on death row to life in prison without parole.
Early in 2020 COVID-19 became a growing health concern. Shortly before it was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, Newsom announced a state of emergency and became the first governor to impose strict restrictions. His measures included a stay-at-home order for most of the stateâs residents. In May 2020 California slowly began to reopen. Over the next year or so, various restrictions were implemented and rescinded as COVID-19 cases rose and fell. While these measures initially received widespread support, many residents grew tired of them as the pandemic continued.
Recall
In November 2020 a Republican-backed recall effortâlargely fueled by his handling of the pandemicâgathered momentum after Newsom was photographed at a dinner party where guests were maskless. This incident occurred after he had urged people to stay at home and to wear masks if they did have to be in public. Amid the ensuing outrage, enough signatures were obtained to trigger a recall election. In something of a circus, 46 candidates challenged Newsom in the September 2021 election. He portrayed the race as a battle with former Pres. Donald Trump, who was backing a right-wing candidate. In addition, Newsom alleged that the recall was an attempted power grab by Republicans, who had better chances of winning a recall electionâwith its lower voter turnoutâthan a regular contest in the solidly Democratic state. These and other arguments rallied Democrats, and Newsom easily survived the recall.
During his first term, Newsom also faced a series of devastating wildfires and droughts. After being elected to a second term in November 2022, his administration dealt with powerful storms that brought damaging rainfall in December 2022 and January 2023. In February 2023 Newsom ended the COVID-19 state of emergency.
2024 presidential election and Trump
During the 2024 presidential election, Newsom traveled across the country to campaign for Pres. Joe Biden. However, in July 2024 Biden announced that he was dropping his bid for a second term. While some had speculated that Newsom would enter the race, he immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris ultimately lost to Trump.
In January 2025 wildfires erupted in Los Angeles, ultimately killing some 30 people and causing up to $131 billion in property damage. Soon after taking office, Trump visited California, and Newsom and the president agreed to work together to end the disaster. However, their relationship, which had often been rocky, soon grew highly contentious. Notably, in June 2025 Trump took control of the stateâs National Guard and ordered it deployed to Los Angeles, where there were protests against federal agents conducting immigration raids. Newsom opposed the move, and California quickly sued Trump, arguing that the presidentâs actions were illegal because he had acted without Newsomâs consent. A federal judge ruled that Trumpâs actions were illegal and ordered that Californiaâs National Guard be returned to Newsomâs control. However, an appeals court temporarily blocked the order.
Redistricting and Proposition 50
In July 2025, after Trump said that Republicans were âentitled to five more [congressional] seatsâ from Texas and the state legislature quickly redrew House of Representative maps to achieve that goal, Newsom announced that âTwo can play that game.â He then unveiled a potentially politically fraught plan to allow voters to rescind the 15-year-old nonpartisan commission that had drawn congressional districts. Instead, voters would go to the polls to vote on whether to approve a map drawn by Newsom that would likely give California five more Democratic congressional districts.
The bid to offset the Texas gambit, called Proposition 50, was far from a sure thing. Opposition including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as government reform groups, that charged it was gerrymandering. With Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, the only issue on the ballot, more than 8 million Californians took to the polls, with the initiative passing with almost 64 percent of the vote.
Newsom hailed the victory, which came on the same night that Virginiaâs Abigail Spanberger and New Jerseyâs Mikie Sherrill won their gubernatorial races and Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, saying:
What a night for the Democratic Party â a party that is in its ascendancy, a party thatâs on its toes, no longer on its heels.
The results also seemed likely to bolster Newsomâs presidential ambitions in 2028.
Personal life and podcast
In 2001 Newsom married Kimberly Guilfoyle, a lawyer who was then working in the district attorneyâs office in San Francisco. She later became a TV personality. In a 2004 feature in Harperâs Bazaar magazine, Newsom and Guilfoyle were dubbed âthe New Kennedys,â a reference to former U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy. They divorced, however, the following year. Guilfoyle later attracted attention for her work on the conservative Fox News Channel. In 2008 Newsom married Jennifer Siebel, a filmmaker. The couple have four children.
In February 2025 he debuted the podcast This Is Gavin Newsom. He described the program as âhonest discussions with people that agree AND disagreeâ with him. Guests have included such notable conservatives as Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk.