Gavin Newsom | |
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![]() Newsom in 2024 | |
40th Governor of California | |
Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
Lieutenant | Eleni Kounalakis |
Preceded by | Jerry Brown |
49th Lieutenant Governor of California | |
In office January 10, 2011 – January 7, 2019 | |
Governor | Jerry Brown |
Preceded by | Abel Maldonado |
Succeeded by | Eleni Kounalakis |
42nd Mayor of San Francisco | |
In office January 8, 2004 – January 10, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Willie Brown |
Succeeded by | Ed Lee |
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from the 2nd district | |
In office January 8, 1997 – January 8, 2004 | |
Preceded by | Kevin Shelley |
Succeeded by | Michela Alioto-Pier |
Personal details | |
Born | Gavin Christopher Newsom October 10, 1967 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | |
Children | 4 |
Parent |
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Residence(s) | Fair Oaks, California Kentfield, California |
Education | Santa Clara University (BS) |
Signature | ![]() |
Gavin Christopher Newsom (/ˈnjuːsəm/ NEW-səm; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 2019 as the 49th lieutenant governor of California and from 2004 to 2011 as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco.
Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in political science. Afterward, he founded the boutique winery PlumpJack Group in Oakville, California, with billionaire heir and family friend Gordon Getty as an investor. The company grew to manage 23 businesses, including wineries, restaurants, and hotels. Newsom began his political career in 1996, when San Francisco mayor Willie Brown appointed him to the city's Parking and Traffic Commission.[1] Brown then appointed Newsom to fill a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors the next year and Newsom was first elected to the board in 1998.
Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco in 2003 and reelected in 2007. He was elected lieutenant governor of California in 2010 and reelected in 2014. As lieutenant governor, Newsom hosted The Gavin Newsom Show from 2012 to 2013 and in 2013 wrote the book Citizenville, which focuses on using digital tools for democratic change. Since 2025, he has hosted the podcast This is Gavin Newsom. He was elected governor of California in 2018.
During his governorship, Newsom faced criticism for his personal behavior and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, imposing strict lockdown measures considered overly restrictive and economically damaging to the state while also flouting his own administration's guidelines personally. Controversies and frustration with his leadership contributed to an unsuccessful recall effort in 2021, and he was reelected in 2022.