California Governor Gavin Newsom has spent years telling a story of rise‑up from a very modest background. In a recent interview on the “All the Smoke” podcast, he painted a picture of a 19‑year‑old mother who divorced his father, hustled hard, kept three jobs, and struggled to keep a roof over their heads. According to Newsom, the early days were “just hustling every single day” and he grew up learning to grind out a living.
Newsom’s narrative has helped him connect with voters who see a familiar underdog. He’s spoken about staying up late watching the news, eating simple things like macaroni and cheese, and taking on part‑time gigs while still in school. In the summer of 2024, he even went on to tell a tale about sleeping on a couch while his sister slept in a hallway because their mother had to rent out a spare bedroom.
But critics point to a very different picture behind the West Coast governor’s family. His late father, William Newsom, was a former associate justice on the California Court of Appeals and a high‑level attorney who worked closely with the Getty wealth. William was trusted by billionaire heir Gordon Getty to oversee legal and financial matters that included the ransom payment in the kidnapping case of John Paul Getty III. Because of those ties, William had access to the Getty fortune, although he later said he was limited in how much he could help his wife financially when he was running for the U.S. Senate in 1968.
After winning the Senate race, William lost his law practice and was left with a huge debt. The family’s finances suffered, and the father said, “I was around people of wealth, but I never had any money, nor did Gavin.” Despite the financial setbacks, he never disclosed whether the family had access to the larger Getty holdings.
Newsom’s own career and entrepreneurial pursuits reflect a more complicated relationship with money. After graduating from Santa Clara University, he co‑founded the boutique wine company PlumpJack Group, a venture that received financial backing from the Getty family. That partnership suggests that early opportunities for Gavin may have been more readily available than his words imply.
The governor has also highlighted his struggles with dyslexia, and he has tried to build a brand around authenticity. He once posted a photo from an all‑girls high‑school event that contrasted the polished image of a former Vice President with a more laid‑back snapshot of himself from his youth.
While Newsom’s portrayal paints a vivid story, many California voters note the contradictions in his family’s history. The claims of living on a shoestring budget sit beside undisputed connections to a dynasty steeped in wealth. As he continues to push forward his political agenda, the public will keep a close eye on whether this mix of personal narrative and family ties aligns with the real life experience he describes.
Source: New York Post
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