Gavin Newsom’s Decades-Old Affair Returns to Spotlight

Ruby Rippey, who was appointments secretary for Gavin Newsom while he was mayor of San Francisco, published a first-person essay in *Vanity Fair* on July 28. She recounts a months-long sexual relationship that began in the summer of 2005, describes her concurrent struggles with alcohol and cocaine, and notes that the liaison ended after she entered rehab in May 2006. Rippey says the affair “wasn’t love… it was intoxication” and frames it as a personal fracture that split her life. The essay appears as Newsom finishes his final year as California governor and is widely expected to launch a 2028 presidential bid.

SFist

The affair entered public view in early 2007, prompting Tourk’s resignation and intense media coverage. Rippey remained largely silent for two decades, citing advice from then-San Francisco district attorney Kamala Harris to “pause” and wait for perspective.

New York Post

Spokesperson Izzy Gardon said Newsom “met his wife, started a family, and has focused on serving Californians.” Newsom’s memoir reiterates his view of the liaison as brief and notes that he “came clean” to Tourk after the affair became public.

New York Post

First partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who was dating Newsom when the scandal broke, called Rippey “the culprit” in a 2007 online comment, characterizing the affair as “a few nothing incidents.” Siebel later issued a public apology for those remarks, highlighting the gendered framing of the scandal at the time.

New York Post

Sources differ on the precise start date. The *New York Post* cites July 2 2005 as the night the affair began, while other outlets (e.g., *The Guardian*, *Politico*) refer only to “summer 2005.” The timeline of who first disclosed the affair to Tourk is also contested: Newsom’s memoir claims he informed Tourk, whereas Rippey’s essay asserts she had already told her husband before any conversation with Newsom took place.

Forbes

• “Both things are true: I am responsible for what I did. Power does not distribute consequences evenly,” — Ruby Rippey

CNN

• “In the time since, he met his wife, started a family, and has focused on serving Californians,” — Izzy Gardon

Sacramento Bee

The resurfacing of the affair coincides with Newsom’s anticipated 2028 presidential campaign, reviving questions about personal judgment and power dynamics in political workplaces. The episode illustrates how decades-old personal conduct can re-enter the public arena when political ambitions intensify.

Newsweek