Mayor Gavin Newsom abruptly left the state Tuesday, leaving behind speaking engagements and questions of whether he properly designated an acting mayor.
His departure comes just four days after he stepped out of the race to become the next governor of California. Though he cited personal reasons for dropping out, it was pointed out that the 42-year-old trailed his chief rival, state Attorney General Jerry Brown, in both fundraising and polls.
The decision to leave the race ignited questions about Newsom’s political future and heightened discussions about his character flaws.
Newsom left San Francisco and the state at 8:49 a.m. Tuesday morning and official notification to the Board of Supervisors was submitted at 10:15 a.m. His departure prompted the cancellation of a scheduled news conference today with police Chief George Gascón, who planned to appear at the Mission Police Station to announce a decrease in crime. Newsom was also scheduled to speak at the Urban Land Institute exposition at the Moscone Center.
“The mayor is taking a little time off, spending some time with his family,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Ballard said. Ballard declined to say exactly where he went. “[Newsom] is out of state. We will just respect his privacy. City government is functioning smoothly. We have an acting mayor,” Ballard said.
But with Newsom’s seemingly abrupt departure, questions were raised as to whether proper protocol was adhered to when designating Supervisor Carmen Chu as acting mayor. Under the City Charter, Newsom can appoint an acting mayor when he leaves the state, but he must make the move while still in the state. Failure to designate an acting mayor automatically makes the role fall to the president of the Board of Supervisors, which is currently Supervisor David Chiu.
Several points raised questions about whether the protocol was followed.
Ballard and Newsom Chief of Staff Steve Kawa said proper protocol was followed to designate Chu as acting mayor until Newsom’s expected return by 11:59 a.m. Sunday. Kawa said the designation becomes effective as soon as Newsom signs the letter, not when it’s submitted to the board’s clerk. Ballard and Kawa said Newsom signed the letter before leaving the state.
Ballard said the letter was not signed by Newsom, but by a mayoral staffer under the authorization of Kawa. But Ballard said Newsom did sign one version himself, containing the same information, and provided The Examiner with a copy of that document.
Supervisor Chris Daly, who has been one of Newsom’s main political rivals, said, “The legal point [whether it was a valid designation] needs to be investigated further” and “if the letter was properly signed then why wasn’t the board informed of this for two hours?”
