Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi Both Have Deep Political Ties to California — Are They Related?
Forget the Newsoms and the Pelosis. The real story lies with the Newsoms and the Gettys.
Published July 19 2024, 5:27 p.m. ET
What do Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi have in common? Obviously they both have political ties in the state of California. Nancy is the longest-serving member of California's Congressional delegation while Gavin was elected governor of California in 2019. Also, both are democrats who have openly supported each other's policies and goals. There are also rumors of another connection. Is Gavin Newsom related to Nancy Pelosi? Kind of!
Is Gavin Newsom related to Nancy Pelosi? Just a bit.
According to ABC 7 News, the ties that bind Gavin and Nancy are more like shoelaces. Gavin's aunt Barbara was married to Nancy's brother-in-law Paul Pelosi. Barbara and Paul divorced in 1977, when Gavin was 10 years old, but they shared children which probably kept Gavin and Nancy in each other's orbits, as she was married to Ron Pelosi in 1963.
The Newsoms were already a powerful political family long before Nancy joined them by marriage. Gavin's father William was appointed to the Superior Court bench in Placer County in 1975 by then Gov. Jerry Brown, per the San Francisco Examiner. He was later appointed to California’s Court of Appeal, where he remained until 1995. He also managed the Getty Trust, having met Gordon Getty, son of oil magnate J. Paul Getty, in high school.
The Newsoms and the Gettys are very close.
In April 2003, a very retired William spoke with the SF Weekly about his long relationship with the Getty family. "I make my living working for Gordon Getty," he told the outlet.
At the time, Gordon Getty was worth roughly $2 billion. You would think someone like that would be untouchable, and maybe he is to most, but Newsom saw a different side.
"He's not a day-to-day businessman. He's more interested in poetry, music. He's a hell of a guy; he's down here every day for a burger."
Gavin certainly benefitted from his father's relationship to the Getty family. William managed to get Gavin involved in a 2001 real estate investment that took his $125,000 stake to over $1 million. The nepotism doesn't end there, as Gavin's political career was kicked off by his father's friendship with John Burton, who convinced Mayor Willie Brown to appoint Gavin to the Board of Supervisors in 1997. About that, William said Burton also liked Gavin and "they needed a straight white male on the board."
It obviously worked out for Gavin, who many believe is on the short list to make a run for president if Biden steps down from the 2024 race. Polls indicate not enough Americans know who Gavin is, but that has never stopped anyone from running before.
