Will Newsom Be the Progressive Choice in 2010?Randy Shawbyline‚ Jul. 07‚ 2008During seven years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Gavin Newsom was a solid pro-business, pro-real estate ally who was a guaranteed vote for whatever Mayor Willie Brown wanted. The vast ideological gulf between Newsom and Matt Gonzalez galvanized the 2003 mayor’s race, and left some predicting that the Newsom mayoralty would be a re-run of the Frank Jordan years. But despite stumbling early in his tenure over an ill-conceived “Workforce Housing Initiative,” Newsom backed gay marriage and developed a close relationship with organized labor. He then promoted universal health care, immigrants’ rights, and San Francisco as the preeminent “green” city. While Newsom’s local stances have not put him in the progressive camp—he supports more conservative supervisor candidates and regularly battles with left-leaning Supes—his record looks much different from a statewide perspective. In fact, comparing his record with that of his likely fellow Democratic gubernatorial rivals in 2010 reveals that Newsom will likely be the most progressive major candidate in the race, and will garner the support of the state’s leading progressive constituencies. |