The state Capitol in Sacramento on Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
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Gavin Newsom

Democrat, Governor
Time in office:
  • Lieutenant Governor: 2011-2019
  • Governor: 2019-present

News coverage of Gavin Newsom

Bio

Gavin Newsom, 58, was elected governor in 2018 after serving eight years as lieutenant governor. He was elected mayor of San Francisco in 2011 and previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Newsom attended Santa Clara University. After college, he started a retail wine shop that grew into the PlumpJack Group, which manages restaurants, hotels and wineries. Newsom was raised by his mother, Tessa Thomas, after his parents divorced. His father, William Newsom, was an appeals court judge and an attorney for oil magnate J. Paul Getty. Newsom is married to Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and actor. They have four children and live in Marin County.

Job Description

The governor is the executive of California’s state government overseeing 236 departments, thousands of employees and a state budget of over $300 billion. The governor’s appointees shape state policies. Along with the power to veto the Legislature’s bills, the governor’s office drafts the first version of the state budget and the governor signs the Legislature’s final spending plan. The governor can call special elections and legislative sessions and appoint judges, U.S. senators and some other elected positions when vacancies occur.

Financials

This feature tracks three sources of money intended to help a candidate win election: 1-Money given directly to a candidate’s committee, 2-Money given to an Independent Expenditure Committee, 3-Money given to a political party.

Election

This display shows money given directly to the incumbent’s campaign committee (NOTE: The industry categories for donors come from Open Secrets, a nonpartisan research organization for campaign finance. Some contributions are “uncoded,” meaning they have not been assigned to an industry sector. As a result, the total for each sector is also an estimate).

Agriculture

$1.3M

Candidate Contributions

$168.4K

Communications & Electronics

$5.7M

Construction

$914.0K

Defense

$20.4K

Energy & Natural Resources

$1.6M

Finance, Insurance & Real Estate

$8.8M

General Business

$5.2M

Government Agencies/Education/Other

$2.7M

Health

$3.1M

Ideology/Single Issue

$546.3K

Labor

$5.9M

Lawyers & Lobbyists

$3.9M

Party

$1.1M

Transportation

$1.2M

Uncoded

$29.4M

Candidate Donations

Individuals, corporations, organizations and committees are limited to a maximum donation to candidates of $5,500 for the primary and for the general elections.

Total
$71.6M

Grand Total for Elections

$71.6M

This is a total of the money targeting this official's campaign(s) including direct donations to the candidate, money spent by Independent Expenditure Committees and money from political parties.


Influence

There are three categories of donations after they are elected that encourage a working relationship between the donor and the official. The three categories are: 1-Gifts, 2-Travel, 3-Behests.

Giver
Value
Date
Description
Office of the Governor, State of Missouri$399Feb 11, 2024Duffel Bag
Armenian National Committee of America - Western Region$320Apr 22, 2024Armenian Spirits
Laurene Powell-Jobs$300Jan 24, 2024Book
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain)$250Aug 27, 2024Model Train
Hawk and Horse Vineyards$150Dec 30, 2024Wine
Pasadena United Democratic Headquarters$130Mar 25, 2024Jacket
Juan Ramón De la Fuente$116Oct 4, 2024Tie
Miguel Maestas$109Oct 18, 2024Book
Chip Robertson$100Dec 30, 2024Gift Basket
Brunello Cucinelli$100Oct 20, 2024Wine
Showing 1-10 of 30 rows

Gifts

Officials are not allowed to accept gifts of more than $10 per month from registered lobbyists. Gifts from any other single source are limited to $590 in a calendar year.

Policy

Bill Positions

This officeholder or this office has taken positions on the following bills during the current session.

Bill
Date
Last Recorded Position
AB 493Jul 16, 2025Support

Election Results

Previous Election (2022):

Brian Dahle
40.8%
Gavin Newsom
59.2%
WON