In his first five years as California’s lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom made more than $4 million from his wineries, restaurants, hotels and other hospitality businesses.
And that’s on top of his government salary, which is $142,577 a year.
The former mayor of San Francisco is the first candidate in the 2018 race for governor to release his state and federal tax returns. He filed jointly with his wife, the actress and filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom. On Monday, Newsom allowed reporters to review — but not photocopy — six years of the couple’s returns, from 2010 to 2015, at the San Francisco offices of his campaign consultants, SCN Strategies.
Newsom, the early front-runner in the June 2018 primary, cites his business expertise as a key credential in his campaign for governor. With the help of the wealthy Getty family, he opened a San Francisco wine store in 1992, expanding it over the last 25 years into a network of nearly two dozen businesses known as PlumpJack Group. They include Napa Valley wineries, hotels in Lake Tahoe and Palm Springs, and bars and restaurants in San Francisco.
Here’s what you should know about the tax documents:
The Newsoms reported an average of $1.4 million in income from 2010 to 2015
The Newsoms’ tax returns provided a window into a complex web of the family’s financial interests throughout California. The couple’s lowest adjusted gross income since 2011 was $1.37 million in 2013.
The Newsoms’ average income and tax bills in the years 2010-2015 were:
Adjusted gross income: $1.4 million.
Federal tax rate: 26.4%.
Rate of charitable giving compared to income: 6.8%.
Federal taxes paid: $384,687.
State taxes paid: $139,146.
PlumpJack Group was founded by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom as PlumpJack Wine in 1992. Newsom is still a partner in the company, which has expanded to include restaurants, bars and resorts in addition to three wineries and two wine shops, including this store in San Francisco. (Phil Willon/Los Angeles Times)
(Phil Willon/Los Angeles Times)
2015 was a good year for the Newsoms
The couple, who now live in Marin County, reported an adjusted gross income of $1,720,383 in 2015, the highest amount they earned in the past six years. The Newsoms’ total tax bill came to $753,866, with $568,333 going to the Internal Revenue Service and $185,533 to the California treasury. They donated $62,973 to charity, including a $1,000 contribution to the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
The Newsoms’ biggest income source came from Airelle Wines Inc., which runs Napa wineries, at roughly $790,000.
They made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling silver bars — and donated more than $100,000 to charities each year
The tax returns show the Newsoms made hundreds of thousands of dollars trading silver bars during Newsom’s tenure as lieutenant governor. In 2011 alone, they turned a profit of $499,452 on the sale of silver bars.
Newsom’s 2013 book, “Citizenville,” appeared to be a moderate money-maker. From 2011 to 2015, Newsom reported a total of $370,325 in income as an author and by working in media. A spokesman for the lieutenant governor said he was unsure if some of that total included money Newsom was paid for his former talk show on Current TV, “The Gavin Newsom Show,” which aired in 2012 and 2013.
The Newsoms reported an average of $102,212 in charitable donations each year — nearly 7 percent of their income. But apart from clothing and toy donations to the Salvation Army and Goodwill, it was unclear which charities received money from the couple. Because the Newsoms hold interests in a wide network of partnerships, corporations and trusts, and most of their charitable donations were channeled through them, it is unclear which organizations received the money. A spokesman for Newsom’s political campaign said some of the charities the couple donated money to included the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Best Buddies and Planned Parenthood LA.
Newsom owns a Tesla, and received tax credit for it
Over the years, the Newsoms have received a few tax breaks for their rapidly growing, environmentally conscious family.
Newsom received a $7,500 “Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit” on his 2012 taxes after buying a Tesla Model S.
He received a $500 tax credit in 2012 for installing energy-efficient doors, windows and insulation.
In 2010, the Newsoms’ daughter Montana was their only dependent. Then came their son Hunter in 2011. Daughter Brooklynn arrived in 2013. The Newsoms’ fourth child, Dutch, will make his grand entrance on the 2016 return.
Releasing his taxes ratchets up the pressure on his rivals to do the same
Newsom’s release of his tax returns puts pressure on his rivals to make theirs public too. The move could be a sign that the lieutenant governor is banking on revelations that he thinks could be useful to his campaign, such as information detailing Antonio Villaraigosa’s income sources in the years since he left office as mayor of Los Angeles.
Villaraigosa and Newsom’s other chief rival, state Treasurer John Chiang, have agreed to make public their tax returns, but have not yet specified when they will do so. Another candidate, Delaine Eastin, a former superintendent of public instruction, has also vowed to release her tax returns.
A spokesman for the leading Republican in the race, venture capitalist John Cox, said it was too early to say whether he would make his tax returns public.
KATE Cassidy has posted a Valentine’s Day tribute to the late Liam Payne – declaring him her “best friend from afar”.
The social media star had been dating Liam for two years before his sudden death in October 2024 – and despite his passing, she makes sure to remember him on key dates.
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Kate shared a small polaroid photo of her and Liam in happier timesCredit: instagramKate and Liam dated for two years before he died in October 2024.Credit: PAKate continues to remember Liam and has said she will always love himCredit: @katecass / instagram
This Valentine’s Day, Kate shared a never-before seen photograph of the pair in happier times.
The polaroid snap shows Kate sitting on Liam’s lap as they pose for the picture in somebody’s garden.
She simply noted: “Happy Valentine’s Day to my best friend from afar.”
Kate and Liam dated for from October 2022, through to the time of his death in October 2024. He was 31 years old.
The One Direction star died after a horror fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, where he was due to attend his old bandmate Niall Horan’s show.
Kate had been holidaying with him in the country, but had returned to their home in Florida alone to look after their dog, Nala, just two days before the tragedy.
Kate has been left heartbroken by the loss, and continues to remember him by sharing photos, videos and memories on special occasions, including his birthday.
“I’ve been sitting outside of the house that I used to live in with Liam for the past 45 minutes just in my car and it’s just really hard to wrap my head around the fact that I’m not pulling in the driveway and going home to him being there,” she said.
“You really just never know what life is going to bring. Life can bring you plenty of happiness and plenty of joy, I’ve experienced it all.
“But I’ve never felt this much pain.”
When facing criticism for her public heartache, Kate hit back by reminding fans that he was a “real person in her life” and she can grieve how she wants.
In December last year, in retaliation to another fan who said they “wanted her to move on and stop talking about him”, she declared she will always love him.
Posting a video in tears, Kate said: “I want to make something clear. Whoever I end up with in my future will have to accept the fact I will always love Liam, I will always talk about Liam I will always laugh about Liam, I will always cry about Liam.”
She said she normally pays no mind to critical comments but this topic really riled her.
“Let me tell you something, Liam Payne was my boyfriend,” she continued. “He wasn’t just this famous figure to me. It hurts so bad because I am just criticized all the time for speaking about my boyfriend that passed away, the person that I loved and still do love.
“I would never settle for anyone in this lifetime who did not feel comfortable enough with me speaking about Liam.”
Liam and Kate had built a life together before his untimely death aged 31Credit: GettyThe social media star has continued to pay her respects to himCredit: InstagramKate broke down in tears as she shared future boyfriends will have to accept she will always love LiamCredit: TikTok
Ryanair has branded the cheaper travel advice ‘fake news’
09:51, 06 Feb 2026Updated 10:01, 06 Feb 2026
Ryanair is not impressed(Image: GordZam via Getty Images)
Ryanair passengers are being encouraged to follow strategies to reduce their travel costs, though the airline has dismissed these suggestions as “fake news”. Consumer watchdog Which? claims its research indicates that travellers may be paying more than necessary.
According to Which?, families could potentially save upwards of £100 on their next Ryanair journey by simply disregarding the airline’s “recommended” fare option. When booking a summer getaway from London to Alicante for a family of four, Ryanair promoted its “Regular” fare as the “ideal” selection.
But opting for this would have cost £59 more than choosing the “Basic” fare and manually adding identical seats and baggage later during the booking process, Which? claims. The article goes on to say: “If our family decided that we could get by with four cabin bags instead of the eight included in Ryanair’s ‘Regular’ fare, then we could reduce the fare by £163 from Ryanair’s recommendation.”
It added: “The Regular fare comes with priority boarding, carry-on luggage and free standard seat selection included, but on around 30 checks over the past two years we’ve only once found it cheaper. We looked at 15 flights to a range of locations in February 2026 and only once was the Regular ticket cheaper, even if we wanted all those extras.”
Ryanair is not impressed. A spokesperson for the airline told Sky News: “This is more fake news from Which? Thankfully no one reads, or takes any notice of Which’s fake recycled news articles or your spurious ‘advice’, as our traffic growth from 200 million to 208 million passengers in 2025 proves.”
