As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, then as mayor of San Francisco and now as Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom has been a visionary on issues of equality, the environment, homelessness and healthcare. Policies he has initiated and implemented have been duplicated in cities across the nation.
During his seven-year tenure as mayor, he led San Francisco to an economic recovery, balancing seven consecutive budgets without laying off a single teacher, police officer, or firefighter.
Thirty-six days into his first mayoral term in 2004, Newsom threw himself into one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics by allowing same-sex couples to marry in violation of state law. His administration also instituted a first-of-its-kind universal health care program without adding new taxes.
Shortly after being elected Lieutenant Governor in 2010, Newsom gathered the ideas of key stakeholders around the state to develop an economic growth and job creation strategy. This comprehensive economic blueprint ensures that California remains one of the top 10 economies in the world.
He is the author of Citizenville, which explores the intersection of democracy and technology in this ever-connected world. The ideas of book has been widely accepted by both Democrats and Republicans as a blueprint to government innovation and reform.
