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  Newsom, Gavin
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationDemocratic  
<-  2019-01-01  
 
NameGavin Newsom
Address268 Bush St
San Francisco, California , United States
EmailNone
Website [Link]
Born October 10, 1967 (56 years)
ContributorRalphie
Last ModifedNCdem
Mar 16, 2024 10:51am
Tags Caucasian - Divorced - Catholic - Straight -
InfoGavin Christopher Newsom is the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, California. He was elected the city's mayor on December 9, 2003, succeeding Willie Brown.

Newsom, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, was born in San Francisco, but raised primarily in Marin County. He graduated from the Jesuit-run Santa Clara University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In December 2001 he married Kimberly Guilfoyle, a legal analyst and commentator who appears on television networks, including Court TV, CNN, and MSNBC. She is based in New York City, having moved there shortly after he was sworn into office. On January 7, 2005 the couple jointly filed for divorce, citing "difficulties due to their careers on opposite coasts".

Gavin Newsom's first taste of public office came in 1996 when he was appointed President of San Francisco's Parking and Traffic Commission. Later in 1996, he was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Voters re-elected him to the Board of Supervisors in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He gained public attention for his role in advocating reform of the city's beleaguered Municipal Railway (Muni). He sponsored a ballot measure from the transit riders group Rescue Muni; a version of the measure was approved by voters in November 1999.

Newsom, a Democrat, was elected mayor in 2003, defeating Matt Gonzalez, the president of the city's Board of Supervisors and a member of the Green Party. He campaigned on a pledge to tackle the city's notorious homeless problem, adopting much of the same agenda pursued by Rudolph Giuliani in New York City a decade earlier; the centerpiece of Newsom's reform proposals was known as "Care Not Cash," which substituted direct aid in the form of rent vouchers, etc., for cash payments heretofore made to indigents under the state's General Assistance program. Implementation of Care Not Cash began on July 1, 2004.

During his tenure Newsom has been a very popular mayor in San Francisco with over an 80% approval rating (one of the highest for any major US elected official)

Newsom gained international attention, and attracted major controversy, in February 2004 when he ordered county workers to change marriage certificate application documents to allow for same-sex marriage, which are not recognized by the state of California. Newsom felt that the California Constitution guaranteed citizens' this right and therefore it was his responsibility to allow same-sex marriage. Because of this order, on February 12, 2004, 50 gay and lesbian couples became some of the first in the United States to receive official government-sanctioned marriage licenses recognizing their relationships, and about 4,000 same-sex couples were married in San Francisco until the weddings were stopped by the California Supreme Court on March 11. Some prominent Democrats such as Senator (and former San Francisco mayor) Dianne Feinstein and Representative Barney Frank alleged that Newsom's actions damaged the party's Presidential nominee, John Kerry, but Newsom has always strongly rejected that notion. Newsom used a rally marking the one-year anniversary of the "Winter of Love" to chastise Feinstein for her comment that the marriages were "too much, too fast, too soon," saying, "It is no longer acceptable for politicians to come to you every electoral cycle and ask you for money and then turn around and say, 'It's too much, too soon.'" Newsom also criticized New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg for giving his verbal support to gay marriage at the same time he was appealing a February 2005 ruling that struck down New York state's gay marriage ban as unconstitutional, and led the crowd in a chant of "Shame on you, George Bush."

Newsom has focused city resources on impoverished disticts in Bayview-Hunters Point on San Francisco's southeast side, often arriving there without notice to follow through on city programs. He extended to young adults the city-funded health insurance program started under Mayor Brown, a program that previously had been offered only to children. Newsom appointed San Francisco's first female police chief and fire chief. As part of his Care Not Cash initiative, 5,000 more homeless were given permanent shelter in the city.

On October 27, 2004, during a strike by hotel workers on a dozen San Francisco hotels, Newsom joined UNITE HERE union members on a picket line in front of the Westin St. Francis Hotel. He vowed that the city would boycott the hotels by not sponsoring city events in any of them until the hotels agreed to a contract with workers. The contract dispute remains unresolved.

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JOB APPROVAL POLLS
DateFirmApproveDisapproveDon't Know
02/24/2024-02/27/2024 Emerson College 49.00% ( 3.0) 39.00% ( 2.0) 12.00% ( 0.0)
01/11/2024-01/14/2024 Emerson College 46.00% ( 14.0) 41.00% ( 1.0) 12.00% ( 14.0)
11/09/2023-11/16/2023 Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) 52.00% ( 4.0) 47.00% ( 3.0) 1.00% ( 0.0)
08/25/2023-09/05/2023 Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) 56.00% ( 3.0) 44.00% ( 1.0) 1.00% ( 3.0)
05/13/2022-05/15/2022 Survey USA 60.00% ( 0.0) 35.00% ( 0.0) 4.00% ( 0.0)
02/03/2022-02/10/2022 University of California - Berkeley 48.00% ( 6.0) 47.00% ( 4.0) 5.00% ( 2.0)
09/06/2021-09/07/2021 Suffolk University 51.20% ( 0.0) 38.00% ( 0.0) 10.80% ( 0.0)
08/30/2021-09/06/2021 University of California - Berkeley 54.00% ( 0.0) 43.00% ( 0.0) 3.00% ( 0.0)
08/20/2021-08/29/2021 Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) 53.00% ( 2.0) 43.00% ( 8.0) 4.00% ( 6.0)
05/09/2021-05/18/2021 Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) 55.00% ( 11.0) 35.00% ( 3.0) 10.00% ( 14.0)
FAVORABILITY POLLS
DateFirmFavorableUnfavorableDon't Know
10/26/2018-10/28/2018 Gravis Marketing 52.00% ( 0.0) 35.00% ( 0.0) 13.00% ( 0.0)

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor
Jul 22, 2022 05:05pm Proposed Legislation Newsom signs California gun bill modeled after Texas abortion law  Article RP 
Dec 21, 2020 05:00pm News California’s Newsom could face recall as state struggles during coronavirus crisis  Article data 
Jan 07, 2019 08:05pm Proposed Legislation Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes healthcare mandate, Medi-Cal expansion to more immigrants without legal status  Article RP 
Jan 06, 2019 05:25pm Commentary Gavin Newsom’s keeping it all in the family  Article BrentinCO 
Jan 04, 2011 06:00am Profile Gavin Newsom is reaching for the stars but settling for less  Article Jason 
Jan 27, 2010 08:20pm Statement State of the Union: Newsom's response  Article Jason 

DISCUSSION
Importance? 7.33330 Average

FAMILY
Wife Kimberly Guilfoyle Dec 08, 2001-Feb 11, 2006
Wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom Jul 26, 2008-
Father William A. Newsom 1934-2018
Grandfather William A. Newsom Jr. 1902-1977
Aunt Belinda Barbara Newsom 1935-2008

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
  11/08/2022 CA Governor Won 59.18% (+18.36%)
  06/07/2022 CA Governor - Open Primary Won 55.86% (+38.12%)
  11/06/2018 CA Governor Won 61.95% (+23.90%)
  06/05/2018 CA Governor - Open Primary Won 33.67% (+8.29%)
  02/24/2018 CA Governor - D Endorsement Lost 38.95% (+35.69%)
  11/04/2014 CA Lt. Governor Won 57.16% (+14.32%)
  06/03/2014 CA Lt. Governor - Open Primary Won 49.87% (+26.50%)
  12/06/2010 CA State Senate President Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/02/2010 CA Lt. Governor Won 50.12% (+11.18%)
  06/08/2010 CA Lt. Governor - D Primary Won 55.78% (+22.54%)
  11/06/2007 San Francisco Mayor Won 73.67% (+67.34%)
  12/09/2003 San Francisco Mayor Won 52.81% (+5.62%)
  11/04/2003 San Francisco Mayor Primary Won 41.92% (+22.35%)
  11/05/2002 SF Board of Supervisors - District 2 Won 78.77% (+62.95%)
  11/07/2000 SF Board of Supervisors - District 2 Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
  11/03/1998 San Francisco Board of Supervisors Won 13.60% (+0.00%)
  02/13/1997 SF Board of Supervisors - Appointment Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
SPECULATIVE, DID NOT RUN
  08/11/2024 US President - D Primaries ???
  08/11/2020 US Vice President - D Selection Lost 0.00% (-100.00%)
  08/11/2020 US President - D Primaries Lost 0.00% (-51.46%)
  04/22/1998 San Francisco Board of Supervisors - Appointment Won 0.00% (+0.00%)
ENDORSEMENTS
CA District 22 - Open Primary - Mar 05, 2024 D Rudy Salas
CA State Assembly 02 - Open Primary - Mar 05, 2024 D Rusty Hicks
CA State Assembly 23 - Open Primary - Mar 05, 2024 D Marc Berman
CA State Assembly 54 - Open Primary - Mar 05, 2024 D Mark J. Gonzalez
San Diego Mayor - Primary - Mar 05, 2024 D Todd Gloria
Los Angeles City Council - District 2 - Mar 05, 2024 D Adrin Nazarian
CA District 42 - Open Primary - Jun 07, 2022 D Robert Garcia
CA District 13 - Open Primary - Jun 07, 2022 D Adam C. Gray
CA District 37 - Open Primary - Jun 07, 2022 D Sydney Kamlager-Dove
CA US President - D Primary - Mar 03, 2020 D Kamala Harris
San Diego Mayor - Primary - Mar 03, 2020 D Todd Gloria
CA District 25 - Special Election - Mar 03, 2020 D Christy Smith
CA District 25 - Open Primary - Mar 03, 2020 D Christy Smith
CA District 25 - Open Primary - Jun 05, 2018 D Bryan Caforio
DNC Party Chair - Feb 25, 2017 D Keith M. Ellison
Proposition 63 (Firearms) - Nov 08, 2016 YES Yes
CA District 24 - Open Primary - Jun 07, 2016 D Helene Schneider
San Diego Mayor - Special Primary - Nov 19, 2013 D Nathan Fletcher
CA - District 30 - Open Primary - Jun 05, 2012 D Brad Sherman
San Francisco District Attorney - Nov 08, 2011 D George Gascón
San Francisco Sheriff - Nov 08, 2011 N Chris Cunnie
San Francisco Mayor - Nov 08, 2011 D Edwin M. "Ed" Lee
SF Board of Supervisors - District 10 - Nov 02, 2010 N Lynette Sweet
Proposition 19 - Legalizes Marijuana Under California but not Federal Law - Nov 02, 2010 NO No
CA State Assembly 21 - D Primary - Jun 08, 2010 D Josh Becker
SF Board of Supervisors - District 4 - Nov 04, 2008 D Carmen Chu
SF Board of Supervisors - District 1 - Nov 04, 2008 D Sue Lee
SF Board of Supervisors - District 3 - Nov 04, 2008 D Joe Alioto, Jr.
CA State Senate 03 - D Primary - Jun 03, 2008 D Mark Leno
CA US President - D Primary - Feb 05, 2008 D Hillary Clinton
US President - D Primaries - Jun 03, 2008 D Hillary Clinton
SF Board of Supervisors - District 4 - Nov 07, 2006 N Doug Chan
Oakland Mayor - Jun 06, 2006 N Ignacio De La Fuente
CA Attorney General - D Primary - Jun 06, 2006 D Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.
San Francisco District Attorney - Runoff - Dec 14, 1999 D Terence Hallinan