Gavin Newsom

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Gavin Newsom
42nd Mayor of San Francisco
Assumed office
January 8, 2004
Preceded byWillie Lewis Brown, Jr.
Personal details
Born (1967-10-10) October 10, 1967 (age 56)
San Francisco, California
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKimberly Guilfoyle (divorced)
ProfessionRestaurateur

Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, California and a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected the city's mayor in 2003, succeeding Willie Brown, and was re-elected in November 2007 with seventy-two percent (72%) of the vote.[1]

Biography

Newsom is a fourth-generation San Franciscan; his paternal great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland in 1865. One of his maternal great-grandfathers, Scotsman Thomas Addis, was a pioneer scientist in the field of nephrology and a professor of medicine at Stanford University. Newsom's parents are retired state appeals court Judge William Newsom, and Tessa (Menzies) Newsom (now deceased). They divorced in 1972, and at age ten Newsom moved with his mother and sister to nearby Marin County.

Newsom graduated from Redwood High School in 1985. He then attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship, where he graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

After completing his education in 1992, he started the PlumpJack Wine Shop with the financial help of family friend Gordon Getty. The business eventually grew to a multi-million dollar empire with over 700 employees, including five restaurants, a Napa Valley winery, a hotel at a ski resort, and two retail clothing stores. He is an extremely rich man and owns several winery's and Restaurants in San Francisco and Napa city.

In December 2001, Newsom married Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former San Francisco prosecutor and legal commentator for Court TV, CNN, and MSNBC, and who now hosts The Lineup on Fox News Channel. On January 7, 2005, the couple jointly filed for divorce, citing "difficulties due to their careers on opposite coasts." The couple had no children. Critics from the San Francisco Chronicle assert that Newsom's views were conflicting with those Guilfoyle. [citation needed] An article dated Mar 11, 2007 states that he is currently dating actress Jennifer Siebel. [2]

Public service

Elected and appointed roles

In 1996, Newsom was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to a vacant seat on the Parking and Traffic Commission and was elected president of the commission. Later that same year, Brown appointed him to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors seat vacated by Kevin Shelley, and he was subsequently elected to the Board in 1998. In 1999, San Francisco's voters chose to exchange district-based elections to the Board for the previous at-large system, and Newsom was re-elected in 2000 and 2002 to represent District 2, which includes the Pacific Heights and Marina districts.

As Supervisor, Newsom 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 as mayor

Following a runoff election with Matt Gonzalez, Newsom was elected mayor in 2003. National figures from the Democratic Party, including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Jesse Jackson, campaigned on his behalf.[3][4]

Political platforms

File:Newsom State of City Address.jpg
Newsom's State of the City Address

Social policy

As Supervisor, the centerpiece of Newsom's reform package was a voter initiative called "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. Care Not Cash caused significant controversy in the city, and many homeless rights advocates protested against it. [5][6] Implementation of Care Not Cash began on July 1, 2004. As part of his Care Not Cash initiative, 5,000 more homeless people were given permanent shelter in the city, and as of May 4, 2006, 1,318 people have been placed into permanent housing with support. Other programs initiated by Newsom to end chronic homelessness include the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team (SF HOT), and Project Homeless Connect (PHC). SF HOT functions as a short-term intensive case management team, assisting the most disabled homeless individuals to access health, social and housing services. PHC consists of bimonthly events that bring together a host of public and private services at one location, making it easier for homeless individuals to connect with a number of services under one roof. Both of these programs have added to Mayor Newsom's success with regard to getting homeless people into permanent, supportive housing.

Newsom has focused city resources on impoverished districts in Bayview-Hunters Point on San Francisco's southeast side, often arriving there without notice to follow through on city programs. He extended the city-funded health insurance program, started under Mayor Brown, to young adults, a program that had been previously offered only to children. Newsom appointed San Francisco's first female police chief, Heather Fong, and fire chief, Joanne Hayes-White.

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.[7] The contract dispute was settled in September, 2006.[8].

Illegal guns

Mayor Newsom is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[9] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

Immigration

On April 23, 2007, Newsom again drew national attention when he announced at a community action held by the San Francisco Organizing Project that he would do everything he could to discourage federal authorities from conducting immigration raids. "Our action is to stand strong in opposition to these raids... to make sure that we are not contributing in any way, shape or form," Newsom said. "Even legal immigrants are fearful. This just sends a chill to a lot of people. There are a lot of cities that want these raids. That's where the federal government should be spending their time."[10]

Health care

In his budget proposal for fiscal year 2007-2008, Newsom announced his intention to provide universal health care for all city residents, base of long-time City Supervisor Tom Ammiano's plan. The care will be provided through the San Francisco Health Access Plan.[11][12]

Newsom's proposal has prompted Oakland mayor Ron Dellums and San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors to look into possibilities for providing their own taxpayer-subsidized health care.[13][14]

Controversies

Newsom during the 2007 Gay Pride Parade

Same-sex marriage

Main article: San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings

Newsom gained international attention and caused controversy in February 2004, when he issued a directive to the city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Newsom claimed the California Constitution's equal protection clause as his authority to do so, and decided to perform the marriages after attending President Bush's State of the Union address as a guest of then Democratic Party leader, and current House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi [2]. From February 12 until March 11, 2004 (when the weddings were halted by the California Supreme Court), about 4,000 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses in San Francisco. On August 12, 2004, the California Supreme Court voided all of these licenses that were once legal.

Rippey-Tourk affair

On January 31, 2007, Newsom's campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff, Alex Tourk, resigned[15] after he confronted the mayor about a sexual affair Newsom had with Tourk's wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk. The affair happened in late 2005 as Newsom was undergoing a divorce with Guilfoyle and Rippey-Tourk worked in Newsom's office as the mayor's aide for commission appointments.[16] Newsom apologized for the affair at a news conference on February 1 2007. He said, "I hurt someone I care deeply about, Alex Tourk, his friends and family, and that is something that I have to live with and something that I am deeply sorry for." He, however, took the route of confessing because he has learned from many recent sex scandals in politics that the best resort is confessing. [17] He also checked into an alcohol rehabilitation program after being approached by colleagues concerned about his alleged alcohol abuse. [18]

References

  1. ^ SFGov (November 6, 2007) "Election Summary: November 6, 2007." San Francisco City and County Department of Elections.
  2. ^ http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/11/LVGL7OGFJ31.DTL
  3. ^ Wildermuth, Joan (December 3, 2003) SF Campaign Notebook, San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. ^ Walsh, Joan (December 2, 2003) San Francisco's Greens vs. Democrats grudge-match. Salon.
  5. ^ Prop. N's big lies, sfbg.com.
  6. ^ Position Paper: Opposing Prop N (Care not Cash), indybay.org.
  7. ^ Weiss, Mike (January 23, 2005) "Newsom in four acts: What shaped the man who took on homelessness, gay marriage, Bayview-Hunters Point and the hotel strike in one year." San Francisco Chronicle.
  8. ^ Two-year hotel dispute settled, San Francisco Business Times.
  9. ^ "Coalition Members". Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
  10. ^ Fimrite, Peter (April 22, 2007) [Newsom pledges to make SF a sanctuary for illegal immigrants "Newsom pledges to make SF a sanctuary for illegal immigrants."] San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. ^ San Francisco may get universal health care, USA Today.
  12. ^ San Francisco's Latest Innovation: Universal Health Care, The Time.
  13. ^ Dellums considering health care options, San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ^ County to study universal health care, San Mateo Daily Journal.
  15. ^ Despite doubts, Newsom's camp gears up for '07. San Francisco Chronicle
  16. ^ Newsom Focuses On Business After Apology. FOX2 New. KTVU.
  17. ^ Newsom Apologizes; So What's Next For The Mayor?. ABC7 News. KGO-TV.
  18. ^ [1]SF Gate Article.

External links

Template:Incumbent succession box
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 2
1997–2004 		Succeeded by
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