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10 Things to Know About California's Next Governor, Gavin Newsom

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Gavin Newsom will become California's 40th governor on Monday, succeeding fellow Democrat Jerry Brown.

Here are 10 things to know about the next leader of the nation's most populous state:

• Served as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2019 and San Francisco mayor from 2004 to 2011.

• Married to Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actress, and the couple has four children. Newsom is the son of William Newsom III, a former justice on the state court of appeals.

• He is 51 years old.

• Opened a San Francisco wine shop in 1992 with Billy Getty, the grandson of the oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. It grew into a network of wineries, hotels and restaurants known as the PlumpJack Group. Newsom is placing his ownership into a blind trust run by a family friend and attorney to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as governor.

• Formerly married to Kimberly Guilfoyle, the prosecutor-turned-Fox news host who now dates Donald Trump Jr.

• In 2004, as mayor, directed San Francisco city clerks to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, then in violation of state and federal law. A month later, the state Supreme Court halted the practice and voided the licenses.

• Proposed and campaigned heavily for the winning 2016 gun control ballot measure that restricted possession of high-capacity magazines and required a background check to buy bullets, among other things.

• Supported the 2016 ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana, which won passage.

• Has dyslexia, a disorder that can make it difficult to read. Newsom said it's forced him to learn how to over-prepare, and he memorizes most of his speeches.

• Longtime family friend of Jerry Brown and recalled licking envelopes for campaign materials during Brown's 1992 presidential bid.

© 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

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