Gov. Gavin Newsom Faces Questions Over Lack of Recent Tax Return Disclosures
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who pledged to release his tax returns annually while in office, has yet to make any new filings public during his second term.
The last time Newsom disclosed his tax returns was in March 2022, during his re-election campaign. At that time, he released returns through 2020, which showed he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, earned nearly $1.5 million and paid approximately $480,000 in taxes.
Despite this earlier transparency, Newsom has not released any tax filings since. His spokesperson, Nathan Click, told CalMatters that the governor’s team plans to organize a controlled review of the documents for reporters, as done previously, but did not specify a timeline or respond to follow-up inquiries.
Renewed Focus on Newsom’s Finances
This Article Includes
Scrutiny of Newsom’s financial dealings has intensified following reports that he and his wife recently purchased a $9 million home in Kentfield, Marin County.
The Newsoms announced over the summer their intention to relocate from the Sacramento suburbs back to the Bay Area to maintain continuity in their children’s education.
Responding to the reports, the governor’s office clarified that the property was purchased by Jennifer Siebel Newsom through an LLC and emphasized that no external entities provided financial support for the acquisition.
While Newsom receives an annual gubernatorial salary of $234,101, he also earns income from his wine and entertainment businesses, which he placed in a blind trust upon taking office in 2019.
Previous tax filings revealed that the couple had rented out a previous Kentfield property—initially listed for nearly $6 million—for $20,000 per month.
A History of Tax Transparency
Newsom began releasing his tax returns in 2017 while campaigning for governor, positioning himself as a proponent of transparency. This move contrasted with former Governor Jerry Brown, who declined to disclose his returns, and appeared as a critique of then-President Donald Trump’s refusal to release his tax filings, a contentious issue at the time.
In 2019, Newsom signed legislation requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns to appear on California primary ballots. Although the California Supreme Court struck down the law as unconstitutional, it upheld a provision extending the requirement to gubernatorial candidates.
As questions mount regarding Newsom’s financial transparency, his administration faces growing pressure to release his most recent tax filings, fulfilling the commitment he made to Californians.
