Gavin Newsom's Most Controversial Moments

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been mired in controversy since the earliest days of his political career. He started out as San Francisco's mayor, weathered some scandalous media storms, admitted to some personal vices, and then somehow managed to win California's gubernatorial election regardless in 2018. Newsom gained popularity among liberals for challenging the status quo on a few notable occasions while he was serving as mayor, like when Newsom went rogue in 2004 to support gay marriage, allowing licenses to be issued to around 4,000 gay couples — which was strictly against Californian law.

The controversial politician is still remembered for that bold move, which triggered legal and political backlash. His actions had both Democrats and Republicans seething, and in the aftermath, it's said that Former President Barack Obama, who was running for the Senate at the time, went to great trouble to avoid taking a picture with Newsom. Obama has denied these claims since, but Newsom once hinted in an interview that it was true.

The Californian governor added plenty more blunders to his resume in the years that followed, one of which involved a big pandemic screw-up that had many calling for him to be fired. And yet, at the same time, Newsom managed to demonstrate that he was a worthy leader by handling his state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic considerably better than his peers. In fact, even Donald Trump has accidentally praised Newsom for his past work. 

When Gavin Newsom was in the midst of his mayoral reelection campaign in 2006, a major bombshell dropped that left many wondering whether the politician would see a second term. It came to light that Newsom had an affair with his appointment secretary, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, before divorcing his then-wife, Kimberley Guilfoyle. What made the whole situation messier was that Rippey-Tourk's husband, Alex Tourk, was Newsom's campaign manager. Alex confronted him, promptly resigned, and the then-mayoral candidate was left with no choice but to face the music. Newsom handled the scandal by acknowledging his mistake and speaking openly about the affair to reporters eager to get his side of the story. 

"I am deeply sorry," he said at the time (via Reuters). "I humbly ask all of those I have hurt for their forgiveness." Newsom also clarified that this very personal scandal wouldn't have any effect on his ability to continue serving as San Francisco's mayor, arguing, "I believe the best way I can atone for what I have done is to focus every day on helping to make this a better city. That is what I intend to do." 

Some in the Republican camp were certain Newsom's political career was dead in the water, while left-leaning experts felt he'd handled the scandal honorably and would likely be forgiven by the public as a result. Newsom was ultimately reelected, and when he later ran for state governor, he seemed to understand that affairs always haunt political figures, bringing up the infidelity scandal of his own accord and assuring supporters, "I learned an enormous amount from it," (via Politico).

Shortly after Gavin Newsom found himself in hot water for his affair, the politician came clean about his alcohol abuse. In the spirit of full disclosure, Newsom decided to announce to the public that he was going to stop drinking and seek professional help. Given the timing, one can't blame folks for thinking that this was the then-mayor's way of trying to find an excuse for his bad behavior, but Newsom quashed the rumors as soon as they started. "My problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment," he stated firmly (via NBC News). 

As Newsom reasoned, "Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life." It sounded as though he was going to enroll in a rehab program, and the media ran with the story. Newsom never corrected the narrative, but when he ran for governor in 2018, the politician confirmed that such reports were incorrect during an interview with The Sacramento Bee. "No, there's no rehab. I just stopped [drinking]," he said. "There was no treatment, no nothing related to any of that stuff. I stopped because I thought it was a good thing to stop."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

While Former President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of the pandemic, Gavin Newsom's efforts to keep the Covid-19 spread in California to a minimum were applauded. However, he made a major blunder around a year later that almost undid all of the good work he'd done and even led to people demanding a recall election to replace him. After Newsom put several strict Covid-19 protocols in place across the state of California, he broke one himself and was caught in the act, leading to a media tempest and plenty of furious citizens who were fed up with hypocritical politicians. Newsom was spotted attending a birthday party at The French Laundry restaurant, and the San Francisco Chronicle snitched on the governor, leaving the public seething. Not only was Newsom doing the exact opposite of what he'd told Californian citizens to do — stay home and don't socialize in big groups — but he and the other attendees weren't wearing masks or following social distancing protocols either.

Amid the public outrage that followed, Newsom apologized, claiming that he hadn't expected the party to be that crowded. "I made a bad mistake. Instead of sitting down, I should have stood up and walked back and got in my car and drove back to my house," he disclosed (via People). "The spirit of what I'm preaching all the time was contradicted and I've got to own that, so I'm going to apologize to you, because I need to preach and practice." Miraculously, Newsom managed to hold onto his gubernatorial position after the recall election failed to force him out.

In 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom found himself facing yet another media storm when it came to light that the Panera Bread chain appeared to be excluded from the fast-food minimum wage law he'd approved the prior year. The chain's owner also happened to be a generous financial contributor to Newsom's campaign, which understandably raised some eyebrows. The law detailed that workers at fast-food restaurants in the state of California had to be paid a minimum wage of $20 per hour, starting April 2024 — $4 more than the previous level. But rumors quickly started swirling that Panera Bread owner Greg Flynn used his connection to Newsom to get his business excluded from this legislation since fast-food chains that operate like bakeries, in other words ones that sell bread they produce themselves, were not subjected to the new minimum wage. 

Bloomberg pointed out how dodgy this seemed, leading other outlets to pick up the story. But when being questioned by NBCLA, Newsom responded, "It's not true. He [Flynn] never talked to me about it. Period. Full stop. So it's an absurd story." Later, his spokesperson, Alex Stack, clarified in a statement that Panera Bread would have to comply with the law after all, given that the chain store doesn't actually mix its dough on the premises. Additionally, Flynn announced that his workers would indeed be paid the higher minimum wage, and with that, the whole drama was laid to rest.

After the Panera Bread debacle, Gavin Newsom found himself in hot water once more after signing the new Safety Act into law, which relieves teachers of their duty to inform a child's parents of their gender identity without the kid in question giving them the okay to do so. In short, the Act is a means to prevent children from being forced to disclose their gender identity or sexual orientation to their parents before they're ready. When Newsom signed the Safety Act into law, there was an explosion of criticism, to the extent that the Chino Valley Unified School District in Southern California filed a lawsuit against the governor, decrying it as unconstitutional and professing that the law was in violation of parents' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Some upset parents voiced their concerns to Bakersfield Now. "I don't think a parent should not be notified. I think they should know what their child is doing. They have custody of their child, they should know everything that's going on in their lives [...] We have a right to have a say in their lives until they become of age," one proclaimed, while another argued, "I would honestly like to be notified, at least. That way, I could put in my own opinion as far as how my kids are thinking and what they believe in [...] and dive deeper into the situation."

Newsom's director of communications, Izzy Gardon, released a statement in which she dismissed it as "a deeply unserious lawsuit," (via CBS News). Gardon continued, "We're confident the state will swiftly prevail in this case." Some misinterpreted the law as meaning that their underage children could undergo gender transition therapy or even surgery without their consent, but Gardon made it clear that wasn't the case, and they would still need their parents' consent for such treatments.