Gavin Newsom

On January 7, 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom was sworn in as California’s 40th governor.

Gov. Newsom was born and raised in San Francisco. He graduated from Redwood High School in Marin County and received a baseball scholarship to Santa Clara University where he studied political science.

Gov. Newsom’s political career began in 1996, when he was appointed to the San Francisco Parking and Traffic Commission. The next year, Gov. Newsom was appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In 2003, Gov. Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco. During his first term, he ordered the county clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, even though it wasn’t required by state law. In 2007, Gov. Newsom enacted the Healthy San Francisco Program, which provided all San Franciscans with access to healthcare services such as primary, preventative, energy and mental health care at reduced costs. In 2010, Gov. Newsom was elected as California’s lieutenant governor, serving under Gov. Jerry Brown.

Gov. Newsom has established himself as a leader at the forefront of policy initiatives in arenas such as gun-control, same-sex marriage, education affordability and access, criminal justice reform, and universal healthcare.

Gov. Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom have four children: Montana, Hunter, Brooklynn, and Dutch.