Challenges Faced by Gavin Newsom: Obstacles and Turning Points

Life is full of challenges, and Gavin Newsom faced many. Discover key struggles and how they were overcome.

Gavin Newsom is an American politician currently serving as the 40th Governor of California since 2019. A Democrat, he previously held the position of the 49th Lieutenant Governor of California from 2011 to 2019. Before his statewide roles, Newsom was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. His career reflects a trajectory of political leadership within California, progressing from municipal to state-level governance.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1985: Elbow Surgery

In late 1985, Gavin Newsom underwent elbow surgery, later revealed to be a procedure to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament, which ended his varsity baseball aspirations at Santa Clara University.

February 2007: Newsom Seeks Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

In February 2007, Gavin Newsom announced he would seek treatment for alcohol use disorder.

2018: Campaign pledge to tighten oversight of fracking

During his 2018 campaign, Gavin Newsom pledged to tighten state oversight of fracking and oil extraction.

2018: Fire destroyed the town of Paradise

In 2018, a fire destroyed the town of Paradise, where at least eight evacuees burned to death in their vehicles.

January 2019: Newsom Sues Huntington Beach

In late January 2019, Gavin Newsom announced that he would sue Huntington Beach for preventing the construction of affordable housing.

February 2019: State of the State address on Central Valley segment

In his February 2019 State of the State address, Gavin Newsom announced that, while work would continue on the 171-mile Central Valley segment from Bakersfield to Merced, the rest of the system would be indefinitely postponed, citing cost overruns and delays.

February 21, 2020: Recall Petition Introduced

On February 21, 2020, a recall petition was introduced against Gavin Newsom by Orrin Heatlie, citing various grievances including his sanctuary state policy.

March 4, 2020: State of emergency declared due to COVID-19

On March 4, 2020, Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California after the first COVID-19 death in the state. The declaration aimed to help California prepare for and contain the spread of COVID-19 and allowed state agencies to procure equipment and services more easily. Mitigation policies were also prioritized for the homeless population.

March 22, 2020: State of emergency declared due to tree die-off

On March 22, 2020, Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to a mass die-off of trees throughout California that could increase the risk of wildfires.

June 10, 2020: Recall Petition Approved for Circulation

On June 10, 2020, the California secretary of state approved the recall petition against Gavin Newsom for circulation.

August 2020: Verified Signatures Submitted for Recall

By August 2020, 55,000 signatures had been submitted and verified by the California Secretary of State for the recall election against Governor Newsom.

October 2020: New Valid Signatures Submitted for Recall

By October 2020, 890 new valid signatures were submitted for the recall election against Governor Newsom.

November 2020: Growing support for Recall Petition

In November 2020, Governor Newsom's attendance at a party at The French Laundry, despite his public health measures; voter anger over lockdowns, job losses, school and business closures; and a $31 billion fraud scandal at the state unemployment agency were credited for the recall's growing support.

November 17, 2020: Initial Signature Deadline for Recall Petition

November 17, 2020, was the initial signature deadline for the recall petition against Governor Newsom, though it was later extended.

2020: Homelessness Top Issue for California Voters

In 2020, a poll found that California voters thought the most important issue for Newsom and the state legislature to work on was homelessness.

2020: Stringent pandemic restrictions enacted

In 2020, the Newsom administration enacted some of the country's most stringent pandemic restrictions.

January 2021: California had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country

By January 2021, California had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and had only used about 30% of available vaccines.

January 2021: Mismanagement of unemployment benefits reported

In January 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported that Gavin Newsom's administration had mismanaged $11.4 billion by disbursing unemployment benefits to ineligible claimants. Another $19 billion in claims remained under investigation for fraud, while legitimate claimants faced delays.

February 2021: Newsom's approval rate declines

In February 2021, a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found that Newsom's approval rate was down to 46%, with 48% disapproval, the highest of his tenure, attributed to public opinion of his management of the pandemic.

March 17, 2021: Extended Signature Deadline for Recall Petition

March 17, 2021, was the extended signature deadline for the recall petition against Gavin Newsom, after a judge ruled that petitioners could have more time due to the pandemic.

May 2021: California had the 29th-highest death rate of all 50 states

By May 2021, despite enacting stringent pandemic restrictions, California had the 29th-highest death rate of all 50 states.

June 23, 2021: CapRadio reported false claims by Newsom and Cal Fire

On June 23, 2021, CapRadio reported that Gavin Newsom and Cal Fire had falsely claimed in January 2020 that 90,000 acres of land at risk for wildfires had been treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns, while the actual treated area was 11,399 acres, an overstatement of 690%.

September 14, 2021: Recall Election Held

On September 14, 2021, the recall election was held for Gavin Newsom, with only 38% voting to recall him, allowing him to remain in office.

2021: California owed federal government for unemployment benefits

By the summer of 2021, California owed $23 billion to the federal government for unemployment benefits paid out during the pandemic, which was 43% of all unemployment debt owed to the federal government by 13 states.

2021: Faced Recall Effort

During his tenure, Gavin Newsom faced criticism for his behavior and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic that contributed to an unsuccessful recall effort in 2021.

April 2022: CapRadio finds program failed to make progress

In April 2022, CapRadio found a program hailed in 2020 by the Newsom administration to fast-track environmental reviews on high-priority fire prevention projects had failed to make progress.

September 2022: Windfall profits tax and penalty proposal

In September 2022, Gavin Newsom proposed a windfall profits tax and penalty for oil companies due to high gas prices.

2022: Newsom Declares NIMBYism is Destroying the State

In 2022, Newsom opposed NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) sentiment, declaring that "NIMBYism is destroying the state".

2022: Criticism for walking back support for universal health care

In early 2022, Gavin Newsom was criticized for walking back from his support for universal health care and not supporting CalCare, Assembly Bill 1400, which would have instituted single-payer healthcare in California.

January 2023: Homelessness Reaches Record High in California

In January 2023, the number of homeless people in California hit a record high of over 181,000, highlighting the need for more housing units.

October 2023: Veto of insulin co-pay cap bill

In October 2023, Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to cap co-pays for insulin at $35.

October 2023: Newsom Vetoes Housing Assistance Bills

In October 2023, Gavin Newsom vetoed several bills aimed at expanding access to housing assistance, including measures to repurpose state-owned land and expand eligibility for state housing assistance.

August 2024: Newsom Warns Counties on Homeless Encampments

In August 2024, Gavin Newsom warned counties that failure to remove homeless encampments would result in a cut of their state funding the next year. He issued this warning after personally visiting and clearing out a Los Angeles homeless encampment.

June 2025: Newsom sues Trump over deployment of troops

In June 2025, Gavin Newsom, leading the State of California, filed a federal lawsuit (Newsom v. Trump) challenging the legality of President Trump's deployment of troops to assist with immigration raids' response. The suit argued that the order exceeded the president's statutory powers and violated the Tenth Amendment and the Posse Comitatus Act.

July 2025: Department of Justice lawsuit against California

In July 2025, the Department of Justice named the state of California, Gavin Newsom, and other California public officials in a lawsuit targeting the state's regulations against intensive battery cage eggs, including Proposition 2 and Proposition 12.