Gavin Newsom Biography Quotes 26 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Gavin Christopher Newsom was born on October 10, 1967, in San Francisco, California. His father, William A. Newsom III, was an attorney who later served as a justice on the California Court of Appeal and had longstanding ties to the Getty family, while his mother, Tessa Thomas, worked multiple jobs to support the family after his parents divorced. Newsom has spoken openly about growing up with dyslexia, an experience that shaped his approach to learning and public communication. He attended Redwood High School in Marin County and went on to Santa Clara University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in political science in 1989.

Business Beginnings
After college, Newsom entered entrepreneurship. In 1992 he co-founded the PlumpJack wine shop in San Francisco with backing from composer and philanthropist Gordon Getty, a family friend, and expanded the venture into a broader hospitality group that included wineries, restaurants, and hotels in Northern California. The experience honed his public-facing leadership style and gave him first-hand exposure to small-business regulation, permitting, and workforce issues that would later inform his policy views.

Entry into Public Service
Newsom's political career began at the local level. In the mid-1990s, San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. appointed him first to the city's Parking and Traffic Commission and then, in 1997, to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He subsequently won election in his own right, focusing on neighborhood issues, quality-of-life initiatives, and city services. His early years in office built relationships with influential Bay Area figures and Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, whose family had long-standing civic ties that intersected with the Newsoms and the Gettys.

Mayor of San Francisco
In 2003, Newsom ran for mayor and won a runoff against Green Party-aligned Supervisor Matt Gonzalez. He took office in January 2004 and quickly moved to expand civil rights by directing San Francisco to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The move, coordinated with city officials and litigated by a legal team that included City Attorney Dennis Herrera, sparked national debate and court challenges. Although the California Supreme Court later voided the marriages performed that winter, the episode helped catalyze a broader movement that culminated in statewide and national recognition of marriage equality.

As mayor, Newsom advanced initiatives on homelessness, public health, and technology in government, including the "Healthy San Francisco" program aimed at expanding access to health services. He also navigated the city through economic cycles and complex labor and budget negotiations while building working relationships with figures such as then, District Attorney Kamala Harris, who would later become a U.S. senator and vice president.

Lieutenant Governor of California
Newsom was elected lieutenant governor in 2010 and served two terms alongside Governor Jerry Brown. In this role he sat on boards overseeing higher education and economic development and used the office to advocate for government modernization, energy innovation, and workforce training. He published "Citizenville" in 2013, promoting digital tools and open data to improve civic engagement. His statewide portfolio broadened his political base and network, placing him in frequent contact with leaders such as Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, as well as policy counterparts across the country.

Governor of California
In 2018, Newsom was elected governor, defeating Republican businessman John Cox, and he was re-elected in 2022, defeating state senator Brian Dahle. Early in his tenure, he declared a moratorium on executions in California, citing concerns about fairness and wrongful convictions, and ordered the closure of the death chamber at San Quentin. He pressed climate policies that included targets to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered passenger vehicles by 2035, expanded clean energy mandates, and efforts to harden communities against wildfires.

Newsom's term was defined in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020 he issued one of the nation's first statewide stay-at-home orders and later partnered and sparred with the White House under President Donald Trump over testing, supplies, schools, and wildfire response. He faced criticism for inconsistent restrictions and a high-profile dinner at the French Laundry, for which he apologized. A 2021 recall effort reached the ballot amid public frustration over pandemic policies, housing costs, and homelessness; Newsom prevailed decisively, aided by campaign support from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Appointments and Policy Priorities
Newsom's appointments reshaped California's representation in Washington and key statewide offices. When Harris became vice president, he appointed Alex Padilla to the U.S. Senate and selected Assemblymember Shirley Weber as secretary of state to succeed Padilla. After Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined the Biden administration, Newsom appointed Assemblymember Rob Bonta to fill the post. Following the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2023, he appointed Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate.

His administration advanced housing legislation to speed approvals and increase density in some areas, backed large-scale investments in homelessness services, and launched CARE Court to connect people with severe mental illness to treatment through civil courts. He signed numerous gun-safety measures, strengthened protections for reproductive health care in the wake of federal court shifts, and increased state commitments to wildfire prevention, drought resilience, and grid reliability.

National Profile
Newsom became a prominent national surrogate for Democratic causes, founding a political effort to challenge illiberal policies in other states and frequently contrasting California's approach with those of Republican-led states. His public exchanges with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, including a televised debate moderated by Sean Hannity in 2023, elevated his profile among both supporters and critics. He has also worked closely with national Democratic leaders such as Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, and sparred with Republican figures over immigration, public safety, and education policy.

Personal Life
Newsom married prosecutor and television personality Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2001; they divorced in 2006. In 2008 he married filmmaker and advocate Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who, as California's first partner, has championed initiatives on gender equity, pay transparency, and early childhood. He maintains strong connections to Northern California, returns frequently to the business and nonprofit circles where he began his career, and credits his mother, Tessa, and father, William, with instilling a sense of civic duty and resilience.

Leadership and Legacy
Across local and statewide offices, Newsom cultivated a political identity as an early adopter on social issues and a proponent of pragmatic, sometimes technocratic solutions to complex problems. Close relationships with mentors such as Willie Brown and allies including Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi helped launch and sustain his career, while political opponents from Matt Gonzalez to John Cox, Brian Dahle, and Ron DeSantis have shaped the contrasts he draws in public debate. His tenure as governor has unfolded amid cascading crises, from wildfires and drought to a global pandemic, placing him at the center of policy fights that continue to define California's direction and his own place in national politics.

Our collection contains 26 quotes who is written by Gavin, under the main topics: Leadership - Learning - Nature - Art - Peace.