Latest Gavin Newsom Stories

By Mike Swift, Mary Anne Ostrom and, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jun. 17--The historic, controversial moment came at 5:01 p.m. Monday: Gay marriage became legal in California, and one of the most high-profile couples who fought for same-sex marriage exchanged vows in San Francisco, as did dozens of couples throughout the state. Together more than a half century, Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 83, emerged into a crowded San Francisco City Hall hallway, showered with rose petals...

Dozens of gay couples were married Monday after a historic ruling making California the second state to allow same-sex nuptials went into effect. At least five county clerks around the state extended their hours to issue marriage licenses, and many same-sex couples got married on the spot. "These are not folks who just met each other last week and said, 'Let's get married.' These are folks who have been together in some cases for decades," said Kate Kendell, executive director of...

The first same-sex couples in California prepared to wed when the state Supreme Court ruling legalizing such marriage takes effect. The ruling is to be effective Monday after most county clerks offices close but employees at several said they would stay open late to accommodate same-sex couples, CNN reported. Clerks told CNN they a larger number of couples Tuesday to visit their offices to complete marriage license applications that replace Bride and Groom with Partner A and Partner B. In...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco officials said on Wednesday they are pressing ahead with plans for funding health care for residents lacking medical insurance, marking a renewed push in City Hall to create a local universal health-care system. San Francisco's board of supervisors is set to take up a plan by one of its members that would require businesses with 20 more employees to pay $1.60 an hour per employee and smaller firms to pay $1.06 an hour per employee to fund...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco City Hall briefly closed on Tuesday morning after officials found three suspicious bags, but the devices were later found to be harmless, a police spokeswoman said. "We had three suspicious items rather than one," said Maria Oropeza, police spokeswoman. "Police secured the area and the bomb squad was moving through quickly." A bomb squad, police and fire officials went to the scene and several neighboring streets were closed off on a warm sunny...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco City Hall was evacuated on Tuesday morning after three suspicious packages were found in the building, officials said. "They have found several devices," a police duty official said. "Suspicious packages." A bomb squad was at the scene investigating, as were police and sheriff's department officials. Several neighboring streets were closed off. "This happens about six or seven times a year where there is a scare," Peter Ragone, spokesman for...

By Adam TannerSAN FRANCISCO -- To fans worked up about the spread of steroids in sport and baseball slugger Barry Bonds's place in the record books, San Francisco's mayor says relax it is only a game."Let's put this is perspective: this is sports guys, this is not life," Mayor Gavin Newsom told Reuters after watching the opening San Francisco Giants home game on Thursday."I've got to keep reminding people that people are getting slaughtered in Dafur in Sudan, that's something...

By Adam Tanner SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - To fans worked up about the spread of steroids in sport and baseball slugger Barry Bonds's place in the record books, San Francisco's mayor says relax it is only a game. "Let's put this is perspective: this is sports guys, this is not life," Mayor Gavin Newsom told Reuters after watching the opening San Francisco Giants home game on Thursday. "I've got to keep reminding people that people are getting slaughtered in Dafur in Sudan, that's...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco is suspending 20 police officers who participated in video sketches portraying police ogling women, ducking emergency calls and going to a massage parlor on duty. But the lawyer for the officer who produced the tape said that it had been intended as a parody and that officials had overreacted to an attempt at edgy humor and "social commentary." Attorney Daniel Horowitz said on Thursday the San Francisco Police Department should expect a lawsuit...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A woman accused of dumping her three small children off a fishing pier to their deaths was in jail on Thursday as dozens of rescue workers searched the San Francisco Bay for two bodies still missing. Lashaun Harris, 23, was charged on Wednesday with killing her children near one of San Francisco's most popular tourist areas. The children were ages 6 years, 2 years, and six months. Police received a 911 emergency call from a passerby who saw a woman take off...