Early Life and Education of Gavin Newsom: A Complete Timeline
How education and upbringing influenced the life of Gavin Newsom. A timeline of key moments.
Gavin Newsom is an American politician and businessman, 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. Prior to his statewide roles, Newsom was the 42nd mayor of San Francisco, serving from 2004 to 2011. His career reflects a consistent involvement in California politics, progressing from local to state-level leadership.
October 10, 1967: Gavin Newsom's Birth
On October 10, 1967, Gavin Christopher Newsom was born in San Francisco, California. He is an American politician and businessman who has served as the 40th governor of California since 2019.
1971: Parents' Divorce
In 1971, when Gavin Newsom was three years old, his parents divorced, leaving his mother, Tessa, to raise him and his younger sister largely on her own.
1985: Graduation from Redwood High School
In 1985, Gavin Newsom graduated from Redwood High School in Larkspur, California, where he excelled athletically despite his academic struggles.
1985: Elbow Surgery
In late 1985, Gavin Newsom underwent elbow surgery, later revealed as a procedure to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament, ending his varsity baseball aspirations at Santa Clara University.
1989: Graduation from Santa Clara University
In 1989, Gavin Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in political science, supported by letters of recommendation from Jerry Brown.
May 14, 1991: Creation of PlumpJack Associates L.P.
On May 14, 1991, Gavin Newsom and a group of investors created the company PlumpJack Associates L.P.
1992: Starting the PlumpJack Winery
In 1992, Gavin Newsom and his partners started the PlumpJack Winery with financial help from Gordon Getty.
1993: Opening of PlumpJack Café
In 1993, The PlumpJack Cafe Partners L.P. opened the PlumpJack Café on Fillmore Street.
1994: Opening of PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn with PlumpJack Café
In 1994, Newsom and his investors opened the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn with a PlumpJack Café.
1995: Volunteering for Willie Brown's Mayoral Campaign
In 1995, Gavin Newsom volunteered for Willie Brown's successful campaign for mayor, hosting a private fundraiser at his PlumpJack Café.
1995: Opening of winery and Balboa Café Bar and Grill
In 1995, Newsom and his investors opened a winery in Napa Valley and the Balboa Café Bar and Grill.
1996: Establishment of PlumpJack Development Fund L.P.
In 1996, Newsom and his investors opened the PlumpJack Development Fund L.P.
1997: Appointment to San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In 1997, Willie Brown appointed Gavin Newsom to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors seat vacated by Kevin Shelley.
1998: Election to Four-Year Term on the Board of Supervisors
In 1998, Gavin Newsom was elected to a full four-year term to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
1998: Opening of MatrixFillmore Bar
In 1998, Newsom and his investors opened the MatrixFillmore Bar.
1998: Endorsement by Rescue Muni
In his 1998 reelection campaign for San Francisco Supervisor, Gavin Newsom was one of two supervisors endorsed by Rescue Muni, a transit riders group.
November 1999: Approval of Transit Measure
In November 1999, a version of a transit measure sponsored by Gavin Newsom from Rescue Muni was approved by voters.
1999: Opening of PlumpJack Wines shop Noe Valley branch
In 1999, Newsom and his investors opened the PlumpJack Wines shop Noe Valley branch.
1999: Change to District System
In 1999, San Francisco voters chose to abandon at-large elections to the board for the previous district system.
2000: Re-election to the Board of Supervisors
In 2000, Gavin Newsom was re-elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing the second district. He also paid $500 to appear on the San Francisco Republican Party's endorsement slate.
2000: Opening of PlumpJackSport and second Balboa Café
In 2000, Newsom and his investors opened PlumpJackSport retail clothing and a second Balboa Café at Squaw Valley.
2001: Annual Income
From 1996 to 2001, Newsom's annual income was greater than $429,000.
2002: Valuation of Business Holdings
In 2002, Newsom's business holdings were valued at more than $6.9 million.
2003: Mayoral Candidacy
In 2003, as a candidate for mayor, Gavin Newsom supported building 10,000 new housing units to create 15,000 new construction jobs.
October 27, 2004: Support for Hotel Workers' Strike
On October 27, 2004, Gavin Newsom joined UNITE HERE union members on a picket line in front of the Westin St. Francis Hotel during a strike by hotel workers. He vowed the city would boycott the hotels until they agreed to a contract with workers.
2004: Sale of San Francisco Businesses
In 2004, Gavin Newsom sold his share of his San Francisco businesses when he became mayor.
February 2006: Purchase of Residence
In February 2006, Gavin Newsom paid $2,350,000 for his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood.
February 28, 2006: Newsom's Divorce from Kimberly Guilfoyle Finalized
On February 28, 2006, Gavin Newsom's divorce from Kimberly Guilfoyle was finalized. By this time, Guilfoyle was expecting a child with Eric Villency.
September 2006: Resolution of Hotel Workers' Contract Dispute
In September 2006, the contract dispute with hotel workers, which Gavin Newsom had supported, was settled.
2007: Earnings from Business Interests
In 2007, Gavin Newsom earned between $141,000 and $251,000 from his business interests.
2008: Evaluation of Care Not Cash Program
In 2008, a city audit evaluated the Care Not Cash program, Gavin Newsom's signature achievement as a supervisor, as largely successful for lowering average cash payments per person.
April 2009: Listing Residence for Sale
In April 2009, Gavin Newsom put his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood on the market for $3,000,000.
January 2019: Threat to Withhold State Funding and Lawsuit Against Huntington Beach
In late January 2019, Gavin Newsom announced that he would sue Huntington Beach for preventing the construction of affordable housing after threatening to withhold state funding for infrastructure to communities that failed to take actions to alleviate California's housing shortage in his first week of office.
February 2019: State of the State Address: Central Valley Segment to Continue, Rest Postponed
In his February 2019 State of the State address, Gavin Newsom announced that, while work would continue on the 171-mile (275 km) Central Valley segment from Bakersfield to Merced, the rest of the system would be indefinitely postponed, citing cost overruns and delays.
May 2019: Newsom Pardoned Formerly Incarcerated People
In May 2019, Newsom pardoned seven formerly incarcerated people, including two Cambodian refugees facing deportation.
June 2019: Medi-Cal Eligibility Expanded to Undocumented Young Adults
In June 2019, the budget passed expanded eligibility for Medi-Cal from solely undocumented minor children to undocumented young adults from ages 19 to 25.
June 2019: Apology for Genocide of Native Americans
In a speech before representatives of Native Americans in June 2019, Gavin Newsom apologized for the genocide of Native Americans approved and abetted by the California state government upon statehood in the 19th century.
November 2019: Newsom Pardoned Men Facing Deportation
In November 2019, Newsom pardoned three men who were attempting to avoid being deported to Cambodia or Vietnam. They had separately committed crimes when they were each 19 years old.
December 2019: Newsom Granted Parole to Cambodian Refugee
In December 2019, Newsom granted parole to a Cambodian refugee who had been held in a California prison due to a murder case.
2019: Signed California Assembly Bill 5
In 2019, Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 5.
2019: Amendment Signed to California End of Life Option Act
In 2019, Gavin Newsom signed an amendment to the California End of Life Option Act that reduced the waiting period for a physician-assisted suicide from 15 days to 48 hours and eliminated a requirement for a formal written declaration of intent at the end of the process.
2019: Statement on Rome Experience
In a 2019 speech, Gavin Newsom described his junior year semester studying abroad in Rome, Italy, as "eye-opening".
March 4, 2020: Newsom Declares State of Emergency for COVID-19
On March 4, 2020, Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California after the first death attributable to COVID-19, aiming to prepare for and contain the virus's spread.
September 2020: Newsom's Approval Rating at 64%
In September 2020, Gavin Newsom had an approval rating of 64%.
2020: Homelessness as Top Priority
A poll found that California voters thought the most important issue for Gavin Newsom and the state legislature to work on in 2020 was homelessness.
February 2021: Julie Su Appointed as Deputy Secretary of Labor
In February 2021, Julie Su, a Newsom appointee who oversaw the state's unemployment system, was appointed as deputy secretary of labor by President Joe Biden.
September 2021: Over Half the Population Fully Vaccinated
By September 2021, over half the population in California was fully vaccinated, the percentage ranking #16 out of the 50 states.
December 2021: Newsom Announces California as Abortion "Sanctuary"
In December 2021, Gavin Newsom announced his intention to make California a "sanctuary" for abortion, which included the possibility of paying for abortion procedures, travel, and lodging for out-of-state abortion seekers if the procedure was banned in Republican-led states.
2021: Unsuccessful Recall Effort
In 2021, Gavin Newsom faced an unsuccessful recall effort, stemming from criticism of his personal behavior and leadership style during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021: Bills Signed Making Housing Zoning Regulations Less Restrictive
In 2021, Gavin Newsom signed a pair of bills into law that made zoning regulations for housing less restrictive, allowing construction of duplexes and fourplexes in lots that were previously zoned exclusively for single-family homes. Newsom also signed a bill which expedites the environmental review process for new multifamily developments worth at least $15,000,000. To participate, developers must apply directly through the governor's office.
2021: Medi-Cal Eligibility Expanded to Undocumented Residents Over 50
In 2021, Gavin Newsom signed legislation expanding Medi-Cal eligibility to undocumented residents over age 50.
March 2022: Bill Signed Requiring Full Abortion Coverage
In March 2022, Gavin Newsom signed a bill requiring private health insurance plans in California to fully cover abortion procedures by eliminating associated co-pays and deductibles and increasing insurance premiums.
June 30, 2022: $307.9 Billion State Budget Signed, Expanding Medi-Cal Eligibility
On June 30, 2022, Gavin Newsom signed a $307.9 billion state budget that "pledges to make all low-income adults eligible for the state's Medicaid program by 2024 regardless of their immigration status," making California the first U.S. state to guarantee healthcare to all low-income undocumented immigrants, at a cost of $2.7 billion per year.
July 6, 2022: Senate Bill 184 Signed into Law
On July 6, 2022, Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 184, which established the Office of Health Care Affordability, with the stated goal to "develop data-informed policies and enforceable cost targets, with the ultimate goal of containing health care costs".
August 2022: Newsom Vetoes Senate Bill 57
In August 2022, Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 57, which sought to authorize jurisdictions to approve supervised injection sites. Newsom also signed The Zacky Bill.
September 2022: California Becomes First Sanctuary State for Transgender Youth
In September 2022, Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 107 into law, making California the first sanctuary state for transgender youth.
2022: Declaration Against NIMBYism
In 2022, Gavin Newsom declared that "NIMBYism is destroying the state", opposing NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) sentiment.
2022: 39 Bills Signed to Address California's Housing Crisis
In 2022, Gavin Newsom signed 39 bills into law intended to address California's housing crisis, three of which entailed major land use reform, including eliminating minimum parking requirements for housing near mass transit stations, allowing developers to build housing on some lots previously zoned exclusively for commercial use without getting local governments' permission if a certain percentage of the housing was affordable, and allowing for the construction of market-rate housing on some lots previously zoned exclusively for commercial use.
2022: Signed California Assembly Bill 2097
In 2022, Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 2097
2022: Signed the California FAST Recovery Act
In 2022, Gavin Newsom signed the California FAST Recovery Act.
January 2023: Record Number of Homeless in California
The number of homeless reached a record 181,000 in California in January 2023. According to some, to cope with this problem, California must build more than 2.5 million housing units.
February 2023: Newsom Organizes Reproductive Freedom Alliance
In February 2023, Gavin Newsom organized the Reproductive Freedom Alliance of state governors supportive of abortion and reproductive rights.
March 2023: Newsom Announces End to Business with Walgreens
In March 2023, after Walgreens announced it would refuse to dispense abortion pills in states where it is illegal, Gavin Newsom tweeted that California would no longer do business with Walgreens and considered cancelling their $54 million contract with the California state prison system, as well as Walgreens' $1.5 billion contract for filling prescriptions for the state's Medi-Cal program.
June 2023: Official State Proclamation for Pride Month and Other Actions
In June 2023, Gavin Newsom issued an official state proclamation for Pride Month, issued a fine of $1.5 million to a school district whose board rejected a curriculum including a biography of gay rights leader Harvey Milk, and signed a bill prohibiting schools from banning textbooks based on their inclusion of references to people from minority groups or the LGBT community.
October 2023: Week-Long Trip to China
In October 2023, Gavin Newsom took a week-long trip to China. It began in Hong Kong, where he attended a discussion at the University of Hong Kong about climate change. He then traveled to Beijing, where he met with Chinese president Xi Jinping, discussing issues including climate change, trade relations, and the response to fentanyl production. The visit also included stops in Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. Newsom called for better relations between the U.S. and China during the trip, saying "divorce is not an option" for the two countries.
October 2023: Veto of Bill Banning Discrimination Based on Caste
In October 2023, Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to ban discrimination based on caste, calling it "unnecessary" and adding that California "already prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other characteristics, and state law specifies that these civil rights protections shall be liberally construed."
October 2023: Newsom Vetoes Bill to Cap Insulin Co-Pays
In October 2023, Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to cap co-pays for insulin at $35.
October 2023: Vetoed Bills Related to Labor and Employment
In October 2023, Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill to provide unemployment insurance to striking workers, citing excess burden on the state's unemployment system. He also vetoed a bill to expand the mandatory warning given to employees soon to be laid off from 60 days to 75, extend the same protections to long-term contract workers, and prohibit employers from making laid-off employees sign nondisclosure agreements in order to receive severance.
October 2023: Veto of Bills Expanding Housing Assistance
In October 2023, Gavin Newsom vetoed several bills aimed at expanding access to housing assistance including the California Social Housing Act. One was a bill to repurpose unused state-owned land for affordable housing, which he said infringed on state sovereignty. Another would have expanded the number of people who qualify for state housing assistance. A third would have mandated that Medi-Cal cover the cost of housing assistance.
October 20, 2023: Newsom visits Israel to express solidarity during Gaza war
On October 20, 2023, Gavin Newsom visited Israel to show solidarity during the Gaza war. He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, other top Israeli officials, and survivors of the October 7 attacks.
November 2023: Newsom and DeSantis Debate on Fox News
In November 2023, Gavin Newsom debated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, with Sean Hannity of Fox News moderating the discussion.
2023: Discussion on Dyslexia
In a 2023 interview, Gavin Newsom discussed how his dyslexia "forced me to find workarounds and think differently."
July 2024: Newsom Launches Politickin' Podcast
In July 2024, Gavin Newsom launched a podcast called Politickin', co-hosted by Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson. After Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race that month, Newsom endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
July 2024: "SAFETY Act" Signed into Law
In July 2024, Gavin Newsom signed the "SAFETY Act", which prohibits schools from outing students' gender identity to their parents without the students' consent.
August 2024: Warning to Counties Regarding Homeless Encampments
In August 2024, Gavin Newsom warned counties that did not remove their homeless encampments that failure to do so would result in their state funding being cut off the next year. He issued this warning after personally visiting and clearing out a Los Angeles homeless encampment without notifying the city beforehand.
October 2024: California Racial Mascots Act Signed
In October 2024, Gavin Newsom signed AB 3074, the "California Racial Mascots Act", which prohibits K-12 schools not run by recognized Native American tribes from using "derogatory" names or mascots.
December 2024: Newsom Criticizes Biden's Pardon of Hunter Biden
In December 2024, Gavin Newsom criticized President Biden for pardoning his son Hunter, expressing disappointment and stating he couldn't support the decision.
2024: Veto of SB 1299
In 2024, Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1299, which "would have required workers' comp judges to presume farmworkers who claim heat illness developed it at work".
2024: Low-income Adults Eligible for Medicaid Program
The $307.9 billion budget signed on June 30, 2022 pledges to make all low-income adults eligible for the state's Medicaid program by 2024 regardless of their immigration status.
July 2025: Remarks in South Carolina
In July 2025, while visiting South Carolina, Gavin Newsom stated that he has often taken independent positions, despite his views aligning with his party, and that he was once considered "the conservative mayor" of San Francisco.
August 2025: Newsom imitates Trump's Communication Style
In August 2025, Gavin Newsom started using social media platforms with a communication style resembling that of Donald Trump's online presence.
September 2025: Veto of Assembly Bill 1840
In September 2025, Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1840 which sought to prohibit the disqualification of applicants to California Housing Finance Agency home purchase assistance programs based solely on their immigration status.
October 2025: Newsom distances himself from AIPAC
In October 2025, Gavin Newsom distanced himself from AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby group, stating it was "not relevant" to his "day-to-day life", but he did not specify whether he would refuse their support.
2025: Restricted New Enrollment of Undocumented Immigrants in Medi-Cal
In 2025, Gavin Newsom signed a budget that restricted new enrollment of undocumented immigrants in Medi-Cal. Newsom signed the California Senate Bill 41 (2025) but vetoed other measures to regulate pharmacy benefit managers.
2025: Amendment Signed Eliminating Sunset Clause in End of Life Option Act
In 2025, Gavin Newsom signed another amendment that eliminated a sunset clause in the California End of Life Option Act, making assisted suicide legal in California indefinitely.
January 2026: Speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos
In January 2026, Gavin Newsom traveled to Davos to speak at the World Economic Forum. The Trump administration tried to prevent him from speaking at and attending the forum. Newsom touted the 2.5 million zero-emission electric vehicles California purchased for residents to buy. He said California had resisted Trump's anti-clean energy agenda and was a counterweight to Washington DC in terms of economic progress and stopping climate change.
February 2026: Newsom releases memoir: Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery
In February 2026, Gavin Newsom released his memoir titled "Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery", a book about his family and early life.
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