Gavin Newsom is facing mounting backlash after storming a lavish $9.1 million mansion in one of California’s most exclusive corners.
The 57-year-old California governor moved into the mansion in Kentfield, Marin County, with his family this week, while also keeping the $3.7 million mansion in Fair Oaks where he currently lives.
The Democrat is poised to make this exorbitant purchase given the crippling inflation and cost-of-living crisis his constituents have endured in recent years during his time in office.
Others also pointed to Newsom’s reported $200,000 salary, as the closing on his new home this week made it the fifth most expensive home purchased in the Marin County area in the last 25 years.
The median home price in the county is $1.76 million, with Newsom criticized for moving to such an exclusive area as homelessness in California skyrocketed while he was governor.
Sacramento Bee opinion writer Robin Epley led the charge this week when she asked in an op-ed how Newsom “could be so mind-numbingly obtuse to the lives led by the average Californian?”
The lawmaker’s poor view worsened when critics of
California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing backlash after buying this $9.1 million home in Kentfield, Marin County, where his eldest child Montana just started high school
The 57-year-old California governor came under scrutiny when it was revealed he will also keep the $3.7 million mansion he currently lives in, as critics blasted him for being out of touch.
While some critics relied on Newsom’s annual salary, it is important to note that the governor amassed a multi-million dollar fortune from a variety of businesses and investments early in his career.
This included stakes in wineries that grossed at least $1.4 million a year between 2010 and 2016, in addition to income from PumpJack partnerships, a wine distiller, which grossed more than $6 million during that time, according to the LA times.
But many felt the luxury mansion purchase was particularly ill-timed, with Epley condemning him in her op-ed this week for leaving Californians with a “bad taste in their mouths” after he “struggled to get a to put Thanksgiving dinner on the table.”
“Many Californians are having difficulty purchasing groceries and gas. Many are behind on their utility bills and in crushing debt,” she wrote.
“How can anyone in this state, much less this country, look at a man living so extravagantly lavishly? How can Newsom rant about Big Oil when he’s now a super commuter?
“How can he push for austerity in the state budget when he’s spending millions on a house with a pool, spa, garden statues and 5,000 square feet?”
Epley added that the presidential election should have been enough to make Newsom think twice as his Democratic Party suffered heavy defeats fueled by the perception that they are the party of out-of-touch elitists.
The lawmaker’s poor view worsened when critics of
Others said the mansion is adding to the damage following Newsom’s questionable behavior during his time in office during the pandemic, including strictly enforcing mask mandates before he was caught partying without a mask several times.
He also came under heavy scrutiny for his decision to close public schools to protect against the spread of Covid-19, but continued to allow private schoolchildren like his to continue attending exclusive schools.
Newsom’s children were ostensibly the reason for his valuable move to the state this month, as he will reportedly be moving to Marin County because his eldest child Montana just started high school there.
Montana enrolled at the Branson School, where tuition is more than $60,000 per year.
The deal for the new 5,600-square-foot mansion closed Thursday, with Newsom paying 7 percent more than the asking price for the mansion that sits on less than an acre of land.
The six-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom property, complete with a guesthouse for visitors, features floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Mount Tamalpais.
Outside, there’s a pool and spa with sculptures lining a backyard with a roaring fire pit. Inside, the bedrooms have a handful of walk-in closets.
A spokesperson for Newsom would not confirm the purchase of the property, but stated, “The family continues to divide their time between Sacramento and Marin counties.
“The family’s children are moving on to middle school, also high school. “The governor and the first partner want to create continuity in education for their children, recognizing that the governor’s term ends in January 2027.”
The Branson School that Governor Newsom’s children attend costs $60,000 a year in tuition
Newsom’s lavish purchase drew scrutiny due to the increase in homelessness and vagrancy on California streets during his term, pictured in Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood in 2023
Newsom was eviscerated this week for the lavish purchase in an op-ed by Robin Epley for the Sacramento Bee for questioning how Newsom “could be so mind-numbingly obtuse to the lives led by the average Californian?”
After footage emerged this month of Newsom walking past homeless people on Skid Row, opponents jumped on it as further evidence that he is out of touch.
“Gavin Newsom was daydreaming about his new $9,000,000 mansion while drinking his latte while stepping over homeless people on Skid Row,” said a critic on X.
The home was previously owned by billionaire Hyatt Hotels heir Daniel Pritzker, the nephew of Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Newsom knows the area well, having previously owned a home in Kentfield that he bought for $2.2 million in 2011 and sold 10 years later in May 2021.
The area has become a real estate magnet for celebrities and venture capitalists, with the average price for a home in Marin reaching $1.76 million in September.
“It’ll probably fit right in,” Jeff Leh, president of the Kentfield homeowners association, told the San Francisco Standard.
‘We have a lot of people of that kind of stature. I would never reveal individuals, but you could probably do the math – Belvedere, Ross, Tiburon – are you familiar with Billionaire’s Row?’” Leh said.
“It’s common knowledge that there are great schools all over Marin, but Kentfield and Ross really have great schools,” he continued.
Marin County, located just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, is one of the wealthiest counties in the country.
Gavin Newsom and his family wave to the crowd at an election night party in Los Angeles after being elected in 2018. All four of his children are now of high school age.
His statement that he “acknowledges” that his term will end in 2027 could be telling, as he is widely expected to turn his attention to exploring a presidential candidate in 2028.
“Newsom obviously hopes that within four years America will see this as the Western White House,” political consultant Daniel Corwin told the California Globe.
“This is his Crawford Ranch or Mar-a-Lago. The Kentfield House, you know, we’ll hear a lot about it if he runs. This isn’t a “oh, he bought this house, he’s on the run” situation. No. It’s just a good sign that he’s slowly starting to move away from the governor’s seat and onto his next thing.
‘In practice, he wanted his children to go to a good school and to have a house ready for the post-government. But on a bigger level, Newsom has his eye on an older mansion in Washington.”
The couple has four children: Montana, Hunter, Brooklyn and Dutch.