POLITICS

California governor throwing verbal jabs at Ron DeSantis. Who is Gavin Newsom?

Mark H. Bickel
Fort Myers News-Press

California Gov. Gavin Newsom isn't holding back when it comes to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

As they say in the world of the NHL, the gloves have come off.

Newsom is upset about DeSantis reportedly being behind immigrants being flown to Sacramento and the California governor is looking into if a crime has been committed. Newsom went as far as calling DeSantis, a candidate for U.S. president, a "small pathetic man."

DeSantis said the migrants volunteered for the California flights.

And this is not the first time in 2023 that Newsom and DeSantis have butted heads. Newsom visited New College of Florida in Sarasota in April and had some choice words for the Florida governor.

Who is California Gov. Gavin Newsom? 11 things to know

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Newsom, listen to students from New College of Florida on Wednesday during Newsom's stop at the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Public Library in Sarasota on April 5, 2023.
  • Newsom is the 40th governor of California (elected in 2019)
  • He is 55 years old. He was born in San Francisco
  • Political party: Newsom is a Democrat
  • Education: He received a Bachelor's of Science from Santa Clara University
  • Newsom's father was a lawyer who later served as an appellate court justice.
  • Newsom has been married twice. His current Jennifer Siebel. They married in 1988. Siebel is a documentary filmmaker

What if DeSantis is president?:If Ron DeSantis is elected president, he'll add several questions to history trivia

  • The Newsoms have four children: Montana, Hunter, Brooklynn, and Dutch
  • In 1992 Newsom opened PlumpJack Winery, a store in San Francisco. One of his investors was family friend Gordon P. Getty, the son of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty.
  • Newsom was elected Mayor of San Francisco in 2003, succeeding Willie Brown and becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in a century.
  • According to gavinnewsom.com, Newsom first gained national recognition as a chief early advocate for marriage equality, gun control, and marijuana decriminalization. Gavin is a champion for California values–from civil rights to immigration to environmental protection, education and expanding opportunity, and justice for all Californians.
  • Newsom was elected to his second term as California governor in 2022