GN
Gavin Newsom
DemocratGovernor of California| Age | 58 (b. 1967-10-10) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2019-01-01 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White; of Irish descent (self-described Irish Catholic) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Santa Clara University (1989); graduated Redwood High School, Larkspur, CA (1985) |
| Prior occupation | Businessman; founder of the PlumpJack Group (1991), a wine, hospitality and retail company that grew to 23 businesses including wineries, restaurants and hotels |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | San Francisco, California |
| Languages | English |
| Marital status | Married — Jennifer Siebel Newsom |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Sacramento County, California (governor's official residence); previously Marin County / Kentfield, California |
| Notable relatives | Father William A. Newsom III was a California state appeals court judge. His aunt Barbara was married to Ron Pelosi, brother-in-law of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. First wife was Kimberly Guilfoyle (2001-2006). |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1998 |
| Previous offices | San Francisco Board of Supervisors (appointed 1997, elected 1998, served until 2004) · Mayor of San Francisco (2004-2011) · Lieutenant Governor of California (2011-2019) |
| Leadership | 40th Governor of California (2019-present) · Mayor of San Francisco (2004-2011) · Lieutenant Governor of California (2011-2019) |
| Ideology | Center-left Democrat; a 2019 CalMatters analysis described his positions as more moderate than almost every Democratic state legislator. He has self-described as 'a social liberal and a fiscal watchdog.' |
| Signature legislation | Directed San Francisco to issue same-sex marriage licenses (2004), an early act in the marriage-equality movement · Care Not Cash (Measure N) homelessness program as supervisor/mayor · Healthy San Francisco universal health access program (2007) · Moratorium on the state death penalty via executive order (2019) · Executive order phasing out sales of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035 (2020) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $6,170,000–$16,710,000 (2023) · estimate
| Airelle Wines, Inc. | business_owned · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Moswen, LLC | business_owned · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Falstaff Management Group, Inc. | business_owned · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Balboa Cafe Partners, LP | business_owned · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Jennifer Siebel Newsom Blind Trust (mutual funds) | fund · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Villa Encinal Partners | business_owned · $1,000,000 · 2023 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — FPPC fine for late reporting of $14M+ in behested payments
On November 8, 2024, the California Fair Political Practices Commission approved a stipulated $13,000 fine against Gavin Newsom and his 2018 campaign committee for failing to timely report 18 'behested payments' (charitable or governmental donations solicited at his request) made between 2018 and 2024, totaling more than $14 million from donors including Microsoft, Amazon and T-Mobile. The FPPC noted Newsom, having served in public office for more than 25 years, 'should have known better.' Newsom agreed to the penalty and had filed all delinquent reports before enforcement officials acted.
resolved — FPPC Fine — Late Behested Payment Reports (2019–2024)
The FPPC found that Newsom and his 2018 campaign committee failed to timely disclose 18 behested payments totaling over $14 million, and failed to timely report subvendor payments. The commission approved an $13,000 fine in November 2024. The enforcement division found no intent to conceal; the violations were characterized as negligent.
resolved — FPPC fine for late reporting of $5.5M in wildfire-related behested payments
In June 2026 the California Fair Political Practices Commission proposed and approved (at its June 18, 2026 meeting) a stipulated $31,500 fine against Gavin Newsom for failing to timely report 36 'behested payments' totaling about $5.5 million made during 2024-2025, largely tied to recovery from the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Donors included Apple, PayPal, Paramount Studios and DoorDash, with all but $100,000 going to the California Fire Foundation. The reports were filed 64 to 229 days late. Newsom agreed to pay the penalty; his spokesperson called it a 'late paperwork' matter and said none of the money was misused.