Gavin Newsom

State of California, Governor

Newsom has done about as much as he could to develop in California. By tying the builder’s remedy directly to housing element compliance, Newsom gave a long-dormant law real teeth. Combined with SB 9’s lot splits and duplex-by-right provisions, the governor shifted the balance of power away from cities and toward builders in a way California hadn’t seen in decades. 

The two-term governor and one of the country’s most prominent critics of President Donald Trump is well-positioned for a run for president. Indeed, he is the Democrats’ current front-runner for 2028, according to prediction markets and early polling cited by the Atlantic. Critics condemn his policies on homelessness and the economy and question his political motives. 

Newsom was lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019, and mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. After graduating from college in 1989, Newsom founded the boutique winery PlumpJack Group in Oakville, backed by billionaire and family friend Gordon Getty. The company grew to encompass 23 businesses, including wineries, restaurants and hotels. Newsom entered politics in 1996, when San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown appointed him to the city’s Parking and Traffic Commission, then to the Board of Supervisors. In late 2006, Newsom drew scrutiny over a relationship with a then-20-year-old woman and later admitted to an affair with an employee who was married to a former top aide. The revelation surfaced in January 2007, and Newsom entered treatment for alcohol abuse the following month.