Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor of California
Incumbent
In office
January 10, 2011 - Present
Term ends
January 5, 2015
Years in position	2
Party	Democratic
Compensation
Base salary	$130,490
Elections and appointments
First elected	November 2, 2010
Next election	November 4, 2014
Term limits	2 terms
Prior offices
Mayor of San Francisco
2004 - 2011
Education
Bachelor's	Santa Clara University
Websites
Office website

Gavin Newsom is the Lieutenant Governor of California and the former mayor of San Francisco.

Constitutional convention

Main article: California constitutional convention

Newsom supports the idea of having a constitutional convention to alter the California Constitution. He would like such a convention to "repeal the two-thirds vote requirement to pass a budget so California won't have to issue IOUs."

San Francisco ballot measures

During his time as Mayor of San Francisco, Newsom was frequently involved in advocating for or against policy-setting ballot measures on the San Francisco ballot.

Proposition L (2010)

See also: San Francisco Sit-Lie Ordinance, Proposition L (November 2010)

Proposition L was on the November 2, 2010 ballot, where it was approved. Known as the "Sit-Lie Ordinance", it restricts sitting or lying on sidewalks citywide from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Newsom was Proposition L's main sponsor and cheerleader.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Outgoing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has moved more homeless people into supportive housing in his seven years in office than any other mayor in the city's history - and has one of the best track records of any mayor in the country on that score...'In terms of housing homeless people, he probably has the best record of any mayor in the history of the United States,' said Randy Shaw, who runs the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and operates many of Newsom's hotels for formerly homeless people."

A different view comes from Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness, who says that Newsom's tenure as mayor of San Francisco will be best remembered for his promotion of "mean-spirited ballot measures": "He's promoted hatred against homeless people. It's an endless list of divisive policies."

Measure H (2008)

See also: San Francisco No Campaign Contributions from City Vendors Measure H (June 2008)

Newsom wrote Measure H, which was approved by San Francisco voters on June 3, 2008. Measure H prohibits local politicians from accepting campaign contributions from vendors who do business with the city and county of San Francisco. However, Measure H does not prohibit San Francisco politicians who ran for higher office from accepting contributions from corporations and developers who have business with the City of San Francisco, and Newsom, in his gubernatorial campaign, has accepted donations from numerous groups and individuals who do have business with the city.

Examples of these donations included:

• Ben Silverman gave more than $40,000 to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign between December 2008 and June 2009. Silverman was the co-chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment during that 7-month period. In those same months, Newsom's mayoral office "was successfully fighting the Board of Supervisors to get the NBC show "Trauma" a city tax rebate for filming in the city." Newsom's wife, actress Jennifer Siebel Newsom, was also given a part in Trauma's pilot episode.
• Developer Simon Snellgrove gave a donation to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign. Snellgrove owns the purchase rights to the 2.5-acre Golden Gateway Tennis and Swim Club on the northern waterfront, and has plans to develop it into a luxury condominium project. His plans will require city and, ultimately, mayoral approval.
• A restaurant owner "who benefited from a mayoral veto to get around zoning regulations" subsequently gave money to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign.
• The president of Levi's gave money to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign during a period in which Newsom's mayoral office was finding ways to persuade the company to stay in the city/
• The Deputy Sheriffs' Association gave money to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign shortly before it entered into contract negotiations with the City of San Francisco.
• The president of AT&T gave money to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign. AT&T has multiple contracts with the City of San Francisco.

Gubernatorial candidacy

On October 30, 2009, Newsome withdrew from the 2010 race for Governor of California. He later became the lieutenant gubernatorial candidate and won that seat.

Campaign donors

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Gavin Newsom's donors each year. Click [show] for more information.

Gavin Newsom's Campaign Contributions
	2010 California Lieutenant Governor
Total Raised	$4,391,648
Total Raised by General Election Opponent	$2,065,794 (Republican) $2,812 (Green)
Top 5 contributors	California Democratic Party	$814,522
	California School Employees Association	$25,800
	Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters	$25,800
	California Teachers Association	$25,800
	California Faculty Association	$25,800
Individuals	$2,211,726
Institutions	$1,236,069
In-state donations	$4,120,710
Out-of-state donations	$269,068

External links

Suggest a link

• Official website
• Gavin Newsom campaign website
• Project Vote Smart biography
• Gavin Newsom on Facebook
• Gavin Newsom on Twitter
• Gavin Newsom on YouTube
• Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010