Results tagged “newsom”

Where does one go to figure out what to do with the rest of their life? If you're former gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, you go to Hawaii. CBS 5's Joe Vazquez has first word that the San Francisco Mayor "left the city Tuesday to spend the rest of the week in Hawaii following his decision to drop out of the California governor's race."

While everyone and their pet goldfish thinks they're the only ones to have predicted that SF Mayor Gavin Newsom would withdraw his bid for California governor -- in related news, we predict you will have a bowel movement within the next 24 hours! -- this has been ancient watercooler talk for months. Why, just last week, if you recall, Newsom not only denied but chided reporters for having the gall to question him about it.

At 5 pm today, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom will take a tour of the charm-free middling area of Marker Street. You know, the area between Sixth and Eights Streets where you were mugged. Twice. Yes, that one.

As much as we try not to do 'caption this!' posts, we couldn't resist this one.

Trailing behind Jerry Brown in both the polls and fundraising, one might assume SF Mayor Gavin Newsom would bow out at this point. Not so. Even though rumors are swirling -- swirling! -- that Gavin will either a) drop out of the gubernatorial race to focus on bettering San Francisco, or b) leave the race and instead run for Lieutenant Governor on Brown's ticket, this just isn't the case. At least, so says Team Newsom.

This begs for some sort of poll. Here you go:

Topped off with one of the harshest headlines aimed at Gavin Newsom yet ("The Impending Implosion of CA Gov Hopeful Gavin Newsom"), Newsweek scribe Daniel Stone says that the San Francisco Mayor's current white-hot streak in the relatively nascent gubernatorial race is in danger of cooling off. Fast.

Folsom between 11th and 12th Streets will be closed today in order to produce another explosive episode of Trauma. If you need to dart down Folsom this afternoon, expect delays.

Mayor Gavin Newsom's office will be launching the first in a series of virtual Town Hall meetings tonight at 6 p.m. via Ustream, and users will be able to "chat" their questions to the mayor in real time. RSVP here or here. Apparently, users will also be able to watch/chat via Facebook, but we can't find any links for that. The Our Blog post about the meeting is confusing.

It's an interesting question, one raised this week by SF Weekly's Ashley Harrell. See, way back in 2005, Newsom talked to the San Francisco Chronicle about his Arnold Drummond-like foster brother, whom he called Suliman Ashby. He brought him up as an explanation as to why he's comfortable sipping malt liquor and just chilling 'til the next episode on the streets of Bayview. "He was like a brother," Newsom told the Chron. "I spent a lot of time with him in Marin City, just hanging out with the guys, screwing around. I'm convinced this is why I'm so comfortable in Bayview."

While some are wildly conspiracy theorizing that Mayor Gavin Newsom will bow out of the gubernatorial race, former POTUS Bill Clinton just gave Gav his official seal of approval. That's right, Clinton has backed Newsom's bid for the Democratic nomination for California governor. If you recall, Newsom was one of Hillary Clinton's biggest supporters during her failed presidential campaign. The Clintons, it seems, are returning the favor.

Still hoping to ride his oppressively green platform all the way to Sacramento, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom has had solar panels installed at two housing projects: Hayes Valley North and South, and Plaza East. This makes said housing communities "some of the first" projects in the country to get them. It's all part of the Go Solar SF initiative, a program that offers incentives to SF residents and businesses (which could be anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 for residents and up to $10,000 for businesses) who install solar power on their properties.

In our continuing will-we-live-or-will-we-die H1N1 (swine) flu coverage, we just got word that Mayor Gavin Newsom is handing out free H1N1 shots. According to the Mayor's Office, "San Francisco will be organizing free H1N1 (swine) flu clinics throughout the City and County of San Francisco, utilizing a combination of public schools, private schools and community centers." The first shipment of the vaccine, 100,000 doses, will arrive in late October. "This initial shipment will be available first to those in groups who are at highest risk for more severe disease. But eventually, everyone who wants protection from H1N1 will be able to get it," said Newsom. Those at high risk are "pregnant women, children 6 months to age 24, care givers of children younger than 6 months and emergency responders and health care workers." Go here for more information.

     

In an attempt to snare the golden Latino vote, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom took a PG&E-sponsored trip to Mexico today. There, he stopped being polite, and started getting auténtico. Here are some images from his day south of San Diego. Enjoy.

While Gavin Newsom's daily itinerary is typically (and aggressively) detail-free, today's public schedule is brimming with loads of information, stuff you might find during a showcase showdown on the Price Is Right. Today, according to SFBG, Mayor Newsom is relaxing in high style in Mexico "on a PG&E-sponsored trip that has nothing to do with San Francisco." (Aside: we are so jealous. We haven't had a vacation in eons, especially one that involved us not having to think about the city of San Francisco every other second. Lucky bastard.)

When he isn't helping concoct the world's most disgusting milkshake, Newsom finds time to write on the l'internet. (Aside: green tea milkshake with cocoa, Gavin? For reals? Look, your SFist editor is a lot like you in that the thought of digesting solids, at times, makes us want to hurl chuncks. But this sounds downright repugnant. We know you wanted the shake to reflect your eco-based campaign platform, in lieu of your alleged personality, but we sure hope it's not a sign of things to come, how you plan on thrusting green initiatives down California's throat. Anyway.)

But what does Mayor Gavin Newsom and/or the Mayor’s Office of Communications have to say about Sunday's impending BART strike, you ask? Good question. Here's the answer. Ahem:

Ahem. @GavinNewsom: "Just signed SF's [$6.6 Billion] budget. Worked w/ colleagues to increase funding for univ health care program, protect jobs for teachers, police + fire." The budget also "prevented the closure" of Newsom's non-environmental pet project, the Community Hall of Justice Center, or whatever that Night Court-like Tenderloin thing is called. Read more about today's budget signing here.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the Board of Supervisors, and other top-level officials will take a 2.45 percent pay cut this fiscal year. Which is more "symbolic" than anything, because they are and forever will be richer than most of you, creating the Green League of Justice out in Hunter's Point, having inane cake sales during workdays to get face time on the webs, mistaking themselves as wildly interesting in that special way that people who can buy property and have no credit card debt can. But we're not bitter. Anyway. According to goes on to report, Newsom made $252,885, which is "the most of any elected official". When asked if Gavin would lose his shit over the cut, San Francisco spokesman Nathan Ballard said it was all good. "What's fair is fair," Ballard said, probably going on to say, "In fact, he wipes his bottom with pre-moistened $100 bills that are in a convenient resealable pack next to his toilet."

Wade Crowfoot is leaving Team Newsom. Aw. Crowfoot, "that guy with the fake job about weather who all the gays think is hot," has been hired by Environmental Defense Fund for yet another newly created yet dubious position. According to SF Biz Times, Wade will "lobby California’s congressional delegation and other political and business leaders to push EDF’s agenda." Now the rest of California will get to bask in the warm glow of his sharp cheek bones and cherry-stained lips. À la prochaine fois, Wade. But wait, there's more! Budget director Nani Coloretti is leaving the Newsom's brodeo as well. And, SFBG reports, "political fundraiser Paige Barry Arata ... is quitting as the finance director of Newsom's gubernatorial bid and returning to City Hall." These most recent departures come on the heels of Newsom campaign manager Eric Jaye calling it quits on Monday. Feel free to speculate wildly in the comments.

Eric Jaye, Mayor Gavin Newsom's campaign manager, quit Newsom's gubernatorial campaign today. Why? Who knows why, exactly. Jaye, who has seen Newsom through Care Not Cash to "whether you like it or not" to battles with sweet Peruvian flake, "has been pushing a campaign strategy that would keep Newsom in the public's eye with media events on everything from green energy to food policy," report Matier & Ross. But Newsom's new strategist, Garry South, former adviser to failed Gov. Gray Davis, M&R go on to say, "has been advocating a more traditional approach that would depend on Newsom working the phones and raising money."

Hello there, So Cal brethren! If you're in the Los Angeles area tonight, you might want to head over South Los Angeles Town Hall to catch our famous, Prop. 8-hating, named-dropped-on--boasting, inarguably sexy mayor. He's running for California governor -- which could prove successful come 2010 -- so he'll be speaking from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Saint Andrews Rec Center Gymnasium (at 8701 S St Andrews). Be sure to RSVP here. He's also asking for you to send him a question for this evening's chat, which you can do right here. If you can't make it tonight, Newsom will also conduct town hall meetings in San Bernardino (7/28) and in Riverside (8/30).

Conspiracy theorists freaked the holy hell out this morning over a piece penned by Phil Bronstein -- one that was critical of Gavin Newsom as California's next governor -- which was pulled. Or so it seemed. What happened was, local-politics fanboy types, like the anonymous ILoveGavinNewsom and journo Josh Wolf, accused SFGate of censoring the anti-Newsom bit. (While Wolf, a journalist by fame, didn't balls out accuse them of censorship, he retweeted the anonymous blog's assertion without consideration of the source.)

In an effort to cover up the blight of many, many vacant storefronts dotting San Francisco these days, Mayor Gavin Newsom has a somewhat decent idea. See, Newsom, according to SFGate, "wants local artists to install their creations in vacant storefronts as a way to revitalize economically depressed neighborhoods." For a tiny, yet-to-be-determined fee, "struggling" artists will get some eyes on their work while helping these areas of concern land some much-needed foot traffic. The art will go up in September. Artists interested "must apply by Aug. 14 by downloading an application at www.sfartscommission.org. Priority will be given to artists who live in the neighborhoods where the art will be displayed." So, if you express your desire for social justice via Diego Rivera-esque pieces, apply today! If your uncle touched you in your bathing suit area and you express that horror via menstrual blood on canvas, apply now! If you're one of many Midwest gay transplants who paint transgressive male nudes with a heavy Warholian bent, apply this very second!

Even with Newsom lapcat Bevan Duffy supporting part of Chris Daly's Renter Relief Package, the mayor still vetoed what might have provided a modicum of financial relief for SF renters. (As opposed to, say, homeowners who have seen some help from the government during the recession.) Ted Gullicksen of the San Francisco Tenant’s Union had this to say about Newsom's veto.

A little something to go with your onion bagel and soy latte this morning: SFAppeal and Matier and Ross both have word that someone, well, took a massive crap at Gavin and Jennifer Newsom's new abode. Ahem. Oh dear. According to M&R, "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, finally moved into their new home in the upper Haight over the weekend - only to have someone promptly defecate and urinate on their doorstep." Which? Is not that unusual for the Haight-Ashbury / Ashbury Heights neighborhood; in fact, it's where your editor learned the distinct odorous difference between animal and human fecal matter. Eve Batey at SFAppeal, however, went one step further, talking to a friend of a friend of the Newsoms, who explained to her, "'I was told they broke in and shit on the couches and it was a big secret.'" The shitting suspect, sadly, was never caught. So, yeah, there you have it. [Inset poop-related zinger here]

While SFist likes to bitch about Mayor Gavin Newsom, as any self-consciously and affectedly pissed-off San Francisco voter does, we also love us some Chelsea Handler. (If you don't know who she is, please watch Handler's interview with T.I. right this second.) So, it came as a bit of a surprise when the host of E's superb Chelsea Lately asked her Twitter followers to donate to Newsom's campaign. It seems she's quite the Gav fan. You see, Newsom needs even more money for his gubernatorial campaign, so he's holding an unfortunately-titled online event called a "tweetraiser." While not necessarily the most innovative thing a candidate can do to raise money, as NBC Bay Area's Owen Thomas points out, "looking is the part is where the youthful Newsom, who loves to hobnob with the founders of Google and other young tech entrepreneurs, really shines." (At this point, Newsom needs to start talking in a robotic voice while making herky-jerky movements. "Beep bop boop. I. am. from. the. future. Give. me. your. earth. money." Like that.) Anyway, if you have an extra $25,900.00 lying around, go here.

This is coming from Page Six, so take it a massive salt lick. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Fox News Channel anchor and former wife of SF Mayor Gavin Newsom, has allegedly called it quits with her second husband, Eric Villency. When the two met in 2006, according to Page Six, "[p]assions flared, a prenup was signed, vows were swapped, and Ronan [their son], now 2, came along." Now, it seems, the two will get a divorce while sharing custody of their son. Alas. But is Kimberly hatching a plan to return to the warm, sinewy, long arms of Gavin? We can dream, can't we? (Oh, we kid, Jennifer! We kid! Sort of.)

Dragging someone new into the force, Mayor Gavin Newsom went all the way to Phoenix, Arizona to get our new chief of police. The dramatically accent-marked George Gascón, who was the police chief of Mesa, will replace retiring Heather Fong. Defending his decision to go outside the police force to find a new top cop, Mayor Newsom told SF Chron, "I know going outside is a risk ... But he is a nuts-and-bolts-type of chief, a cop's cop and very active in community policing." A few of the goals Newsom has in store for the new chief? Using some sort of computerized high-tech super system for "spotting crime trends," increasing "the crime clearance rate," and bolstering the "morale of rank-and-file officers."

They seem rather upset. Why? Because because the city budget is bad for them, and the cuts will hurt them. So, they want to BOS to cut other services. Or something. Anyway, here they (and their supporters) are chanting "let us in" outside today's Board of Supervisors Meeting. For more comprehensive info, Chris Roberts is live blogging the entire thing.