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 currently serving as the 40th governor of California since 2019. A Democrat, his political career includes serving as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of California from 2011 to 2019, and as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. He is a prominent figure in California politics.

Sections (5)

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

October 10, 1967: Gavin Newsom Born

On October 10, 1967, Gavin Christopher Newsom was born in San Francisco, California. He is now an American politician and businessman, serving as the 40th governor of California since 2019.

Others born on this day/year

1971: Parents' Divorce

In 1971, Gavin Newsom's parents divorced when he was three years old, leading his mother, Tessa, to raise him and his sister largely on her own.

1985: Graduated from Redwood High School and Elbow Surgery

In 1985, Gavin Newsom graduated from Redwood High School and underwent elbow surgery which ended his baseball aspirations. He played basketball and baseball, and appeared on the cover of the Marin Independent Journal.

1989: Graduated from Santa Clara University

In 1989, Gavin Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in political science, after attending on a partial baseball scholarship.

1999: San Francisco Changed to District System

In 1999, San Francisco voters chose to abandon at-large elections to the board for the previous district system, changing the electoral landscape for supervisors.

December 2001: Newsom Marries Kimberly Guilfoyle

In December 2001, Gavin Newsom married legal commentator Kimberly Guilfoyle at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church.

July 1, 2004: Care Not Cash Implementation

On July 1, 2004, Gavin Newsom's initiative, Care Not Cash, began implementation, which aimed to provide permanent shelter to 5,000 homeless individuals in San Francisco.

August 2004: Same-Sex Marriages Annulled

In August 2004, the Supreme Court of California annulled the same-sex marriages that Gavin Newsom had authorized as they conflicted with state law, bringing national attention to the issue.

October 27, 2004: Supports 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 pledged that the city would boycott the hotels until they agreed to a contract with the workers.

2004: Newsom and Guilfoyle Separate

In 2004, Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle separated.

January 2005: Newsom and Guilfoyle File for Divorce

In January 2005, Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle jointly filed for divorce, citing "difficulties due to their careers on opposite coasts".

2005: Newsom's Affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk

In 2005, Gavin Newsom had an affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, his appointments secretary.

February 2006: Purchased Residence in Russian Hill

In February 2006, Gavin Newsom paid $2,350,000 for his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco.

February 28, 2006: Newsom and Guilfoyle's Divorce Finalized

On February 28, 2006, Gavin Newsom and Kimberly Guilfoyle's divorce was finalized.

September 2006: Newsom Briefly Dates Brittanie Mountz

In September 2006, Gavin Newsom, then 38, briefly dated 19-year-old Brittanie Mountz, a model and restaurant hostess.

October 2006: Newsom Begins Dating Jennifer Siebel

In October 2006, Gavin Newsom began dating film director Jennifer Siebel.

January 31, 2007: Alex Tourk Resigns After Affair Revelation

On January 31, 2007, Alex Tourk resigned after learning about an affair between his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, and Gavin Newsom, which occurred in 2005.

February 2007: Newsom Seeks Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

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

December 2007: Newsom and Siebel Announce Engagement

In December 2007, Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel announced their engagement.

July 2008: Newsom Marries Jennifer Siebel

In July 2008, Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel were married in Stevensville, Montana.

2008: Newsom Describes Himself as an "Irish Catholic Rebel"

In 2008, Gavin Newsom described himself as an "Irish Catholic rebel" with admiration for the Church and strong faith, while also acknowledging the crisis within the Catholic Church. He stated he stays with the Church because of his "strong connection to a greater purpose, and to sort of a higher being".

April 2009: Put Residence on the Market

In April 2009, Gavin Newsom put his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood on the market for $3,000,000.

February 2010: Files Paperwork for Lieutenant Governor Run

In February 2010, Gavin Newsom filed initial paperwork to run for lieutenant governor of California.

January 10, 2011: Sworn in as Lieutenant Governor

On January 10, 2011, Gavin Newsom was sworn in as the lieutenant governor of California, serving under Governor Jerry Brown.

2011: Guilfoyle Gained Prominence via Fox News

In 2011, Kimberly Guilfoyle gained prominence through her work on a Fox News chat show.

May 2012: Begins Hosting "The Gavin Newsom Show"

In May 2012, while serving as lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom began hosting "The Gavin Newsom Show" on Current TV. He also drew criticism for calling Sacramento "dull".

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2012: Newsom and Family Move to Kentfield

In 2012, Gavin Newsom and his family moved to a house they bought in Kentfield in Marin County.

February 7, 2013: Release of "Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government"

On February 7, 2013, Gavin Newsom released his first book, "Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government", which discusses the Gov 2.0 movement.

November 4, 2014: Re-elected as Lieutenant Governor

On November 4, 2014, Gavin Newsom was re-elected as the lieutenant governor of California, defeating Ron Nehring with 57.2% of the vote.

January 5, 2015: Starts Second Term as Lieutenant Governor

On January 5, 2015, Gavin Newsom's second term as the lieutenant governor of California began.

February 11, 2015: Opens Campaign Account for 2018 Gubernatorial Election

On February 11, 2015, Gavin Newsom announced that he was opening a campaign account for governor in the 2018 California elections.

February 24, 2017: Response to Federal Enforcement of Recreational Cannabis Laws

On February 24, 2017, Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Donald Trump, urging them not to increase federal enforcement against recreational cannabis firms in California. He contrasted cannabis with opioids and welcomed efforts to tackle the opioid crisis.

June 5, 2018: Finished in Top Two in Primary Election

On June 5, 2018, Gavin Newsom finished in the top two in the nonpartisan blanket primary for governor of California.

2018: Rippey-Tourk Comments on Newsom Affair

In 2018, Ruby Rippey-Tourk said that she thought it wrong to associate Newsom's behavior with the #MeToo movement.

January 7, 2019: Sworn in as Governor of California

On January 7, 2019, Gavin Newsom was sworn in as the governor of California.

May 2019: Newsom Purchases Expensive Home in Fair Oaks

In May 2019, The Sacramento Bee reported that Gavin Newsom's $3.7 million purchase of a 12,000-square-foot home in Fair Oaks was the most expensive private residence sold in the Sacramento region since the year began.

June 2019: Newsom Apologizes for Genocide of Native Americans

In June 2019, Gavin Newsom apologized for the genocide of Native Americans, acknowledging the California state government's role in approving and abetting these actions in the 19th century.

2019: Studied Abroad in Rome

During his junior year, Gavin Newsom spent a semester studying abroad in Rome, Italy, in 2019, an experience he called 'eye-opening'.

2019: Moderate political positions

In 2019, a CalMatters analysis found Gavin Newsom's political positions to be more moderate than those of almost every Democratic state legislator in California.

2019: Newsom First Tried to Sell Marin County Home

In early 2019, Gavin Newsom originally put the Marin County property up for sale for $5.895 million, but removed it from the market after a price reduction to $5.695 million.

February 21, 2020: Recall Petition Introduced

On February 21, 2020, a recall petition against Gavin Newsom was introduced by Orrin Heatlie, citing grievances such as Newsom's sanctuary state policy, high homelessness, high taxes, and low quality of life in California.

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: Signatures Submitted and Verified

By August 2020, 55,000 signatures were submitted and verified by the secretary of state, for the recall campaign against Gavin Newsom.

October 2020: Signatures Submitted

In October 2020, 890 new valid signatures were submitted for the recall campaign against Gavin Newsom.

November 2020: Attendance at The French Laundry

In November 2020, Gavin Newsom attended a party at The French Laundry, despite his public health measures. This event was one factor contributing to the growing support for the recall effort, after it occurred on November 6.

November 17, 2020: Original Deadline for Recall Signatures

November 17, 2020, was the original deadline for submitting signatures for the recall petition against Gavin Newsom. However, it was later extended due to the pandemic.

March 17, 2021: Extended Deadline for Recall Signatures

March 17, 2021, marked the extended deadline for submitting signatures for the recall petition against Gavin Newsom. By this time, 1,664,010 verified signatures had been submitted since November 2020.

August 2021: Newsom Sells Marin County Home

In August 2021, Gavin Newsom sold a Marin County home for $5.9 million in an off-market transaction.

September 14, 2021: Recall Election Held

On September 14, 2021, the recall election for Gavin Newsom was held, and only 38% of voters supported the recall, allowing him to remain in office.

2021: Newsom's Recall Election

In 2021, Newsom had a "vulnerable" recall election. He stated he would not run for President in 2024 because of this event.

September 2022: Newsom Makes California a Sanctuary State and Fines School District

In September 2022, Gavin Newsom made California the first sanctuary state for transgender youth. He also fined a school district $1.5 million for rejecting a curriculum including a biography of Harvey Milk.

September 2022: Newsom States He Will Not Run for President in 2024

In September 2022, Gavin Newsom stated that he would not run for president in 2024, citing his "vulnerable" 2021 recall.

April 2023: The Hill Article Discusses Newsom's Potential Presidential Run

In April 2023, The Hill published an article discussing the inevitability of a Newsom presidential run.

April 25, 2023: Newsom Endorses Biden's Reelection Campaign

On April 25, 2023, Gavin Newsom endorsed President Biden's reelection campaign.

May 2023: Schwarzenegger Comments on Newsom's Presidential Ambitions

In May 2023, Schwarzenegger said it was a "no-brainer" that Newsom would someday run for president.

June 2023: NewsNation Poll Shows Newsom as Potential Presidential Candidate

According to a June 2023 poll by NewsNation, 22% of California voters wanted Newsom to enter the 2024 presidential election.

June 2023: Newsom Proclaims LGBTQ+ Pride Month

In June 2023, Gavin Newsom proclaimed June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in California.

October 2023: Newsom Visits China

In October 2023, Gavin Newsom visited China for a week, meeting with President Xi Jinping to discuss climate change, trade, and fentanyl production, while calling for better U.S.-China relations.

October 20, 2023: Newsom Visits Israel Amid Gaza War

On October 20, 2023, Gavin Newsom visited Israel to express solidarity during the Gaza war, meeting with Israeli leaders and survivors of the Hamas-led attack.

2023: Newsom Launches Campaign for Democracy PAC

In 2023, Gavin Newsom launched Campaign for Democracy, a PAC to take on "authoritarian leaders" in the U.S., speculated to be a starting point for a possible 2028 presidential bid.

July 2024: Newsom Launches Podcast and Endorses Harris for President

In July 2024, Gavin Newsom launched a podcast called Politickin'. After Biden's withdrawal, Newsom endorsed Kamala Harris for president, stating he would not seek the Democratic nomination.

2024: Newsom Signs Bill Restricting Parental Notification on Gender Identity

In 2024, Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that prohibits schools from notifying parents about a minor student's gender identity without the student's consent. This law has sparked controversy, with proponents arguing for student privacy and opponents raising concerns about parental rights.

2024: Speculation on Newsom's Presidential Aspirations

In 2024, many journalists and political analysts have mentioned Newsom as a potential presidential hopeful.

2028: Possible Presidential Bid

2028 is a year which Newsom possibly may run for President.

2028: Newsom Adjusts Political Approach for Potential Presidential Campaign

In anticipation of a potential 2028 presidential campaign, Gavin Newsom has adjusted his political approach to appeal to a broader electorate, including engaging with conservative voices.