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Mayor’s travel raises city’s profile — and his
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SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - In recent years, Mayor Gavin Newsom has jetted around the globe spreading the gospel of San Francisco to foreign businessmen, lobbying Washington, D.C., politicos and global municipal leaders while raising his national and global profile as he prepares for life after City Hall.
From Manila, Philippines, to the District of Columbia to Davos, Switzerland, and Israel, the charismatic, 40-year-old mayor has swapped worldly ideas, honed his national platforms and built alliances that might someday serve as a springboard to higher office.
Developing a network of ideas between regions is undoubtedly a focus of such trips, according to University of San Francisco political professor Corey Cook.
Cook said the boost to the mayor’s profile is “clearly a byproduct” of the travels.
An Examiner review of Newsom’s public schedule and acting-mayor appointments reveal that he has picked up his travel during the last two years.
Some of the trips have been viewed with skepticism by his critics. In January 2007, members of the Board of Supervisors blasted Newsom for choosing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, over the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. He also took a personal trip to Hawaii in November, just days following the Cosco Busan oil spill.
Since September 2006, he has made several visits to New York City, including a trip to participate in former President Bill Clinton’s annual Global Initiative gathering. In 2007, he flew to Davos, Chicago, the British Virgin Islands and Osaka, Japan, among other places, according to his office.
He has visited Washington, D.C., at least three times to meet with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which has helped bring federal funds to The City, according to his office.
Additionally, the mayor also dropped in to Iowa and Nevada in 2007 and Texas in 2008 to lend support to the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Newsom will be at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami from today through Monday.
Newsom defended his travel, saying lobbying for San Francisco outside of The City was “a big part of being mayor.”
“I usually think people look askew at [the travel] and they criticize it,” he said. “But when you look at when we go back to D.C. and we’re advocating to not stop Ryan White [AIDS] care, we were able to deliver.”
Garry South, a Democratic political consultant who worked for former Gov. Gray Davis, said travel and being an ambassador are necessary components of being “a governor or a mayor.”
The City’s high-profile ambassador
Mayor Gavin Newsom has made at least 30 trips out of the state since 2005, for both personal reasons and city business. Among trips he has taken as mayor:
2005
Ireland, Shanghai, Hong Kong
2006
Davos, Switzerland; Manila, Philippines; New York City
2007
Utah; Davos, Switzerland; Osaka, Japan; Chicago; New York City; Washington, D.C.
2008
Israel; Davos, Switzerland; Washington, D.C.; Texas
Comments from Examiner Readers
2:31 PM MST on Tue., Aug. 5, 2008 re: "Sanctuary policy under review"
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10:10 AM MST on Sun., Aug. 3, 2008
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4:51 PM MST on Fri., Aug. 1, 2008
re: "Streets cleaner, not spotless"
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7:49 PM MST on Thu., Jul. 31, 2008
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10:31 AM MST on Thu., Jul. 31, 2008
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11:23 AM MST on Mon., Jun. 23, 2008
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9:36 PM MST on Sun., Jun. 22, 2008
re: "Business focus of Newsom’s trip to Israel"
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3:08 PM MST on Sun., Jun. 22, 2008
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6:05 PM MST on Mon., Mar. 31, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
there are bigger fishes to fry, not to say the sanctuary laws shouldn't be re-evaluated. one of your readers was correct in pointing out Chinatown and the type of decay that goes unnoticed. there should be an ordinance against anyone who is a snot rocketeer, meaning, blowing their snot all over the place in public view. there should be so many community alerts issued in this community, that ignorance is often given a good name.
1 agree | 2 disagree
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sickofrisco said:
The sanctuary policy doesn't need to be "reviewed" - it needs to be STOPPED.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How is Pacific Heights has zero trash cans? Do they like finding my bags of poop in their bushes since I refuse to carry it for blocks?
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I'm surprised that Chinatown didn't make the "Down and Dirty" list. Or did the inspectors just avoid Chinatown altogether? That place is a pig sty. I've seen merchants walk out of their stores and just throw trash into the street gutter. I've also seen people standing less than five feet from a trash can throw their trash on the sidewalk. I'm sure Chinatown would of made it in the top three dirtiest places if it were inspected.
3 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The fallacy of sanctuary city laws perpetrated upon the citizens as public safety is nothing but open border advocacy. If one wanted promote public safety related to those here illegally it would be written that those that have “voluntary” contact with government will have immunity from Federal immigration laws. Not some blanketed immunity (in violation of federal immigration law) that protects those here illegally that comes in contact with law enforcement “involuntarily”. In other words, arrested. Wake up S.F.
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Examiner Reader said:
i agree with the minutemen! Get rid of illegal immigrants and fire newsome! I want to be in a city that is SAFE and where I won't get gunned down by some lunatic who is here illegally in the first place. Get rid of them all! If you can't be here legally, you shouldn't be here at all!
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Examiner Reader said:
""Following an impassioned speech in his office Wednesday in which Newsom supported the spirit of the Sanctuary City Ordinance, the mayor said there would likely be changes in the way city departments interpret the ordinance."" Excellent idea, better yet lets put the revised ordinance back on the November city ballot and see what the popular vote says. “It’s time to review the Sanctuary City Ordinance,” Newsom said. “It has all gotten a little convoluted … and we need to tighten it up.”"
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Examiner Reader said:
Way to reduce your carbon footprint. These trips have done little or nothing for the City (particularly Davos which is little more than a cocktail party where everyone waits for Angelina Jolie to show up). The Examiner and it's "journalist" just accepted lame excuses for the Newsom political "brand" building because it's easier to accept what comes out of the mayor's press office than to do some homework. Question: Specifically what have these trips done for the citizens of SF..enlighten us with verifiable facts david Smith..well, we all know that's never going to happen
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Examiner Reader said:
Agreed, Gavin Newsom as governor is laughable on it face.
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Nate said:
Newsom is a shill unto himself, who is simply interested in shameless self-promotion. He thinks he will be the next governor. The fact is, however, that he can't be elected outside of SF, let alone even win a primary. When Narcissus' final curtain call comes, he will go back to hawking cheap jug wine for his sugar-daddy, Gordon Getty. It is not as if one actually has to know something about anything in this world!
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Jimmy said:
To all "anti-Zionists": "Anti-Zionism" is a rather thin veil for anti-Semitism. Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination and autonomy in their historic homeland. Are Jews the only people in the world who don't deserve their own sovereign nation? If history has showed us that ANY particular group needs a homeland to look out for their interests, then it is certainly the Jews. Amazing how anti-Semitism still exists, just under a different guise.
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Examiner Reader said:
Gavin Newsom’s trip to Israel is an absolute shame. He and the Israel Lobby attempt to legitimate and sponsor a terrorist state which has unleashed horrors on its occupied people for more than a generation. The Mayor also makes it clear that money and special interest are more critical to his leadership than popular opinion. The Bay Area and San Francisco are home to an overwhelming majority who oppose the Israeli occupation and its human rights violations. We certainly do not need to encourage more subsidies to an already American subsidized state that terrorizes its occupied masses.
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Examiner Reader said:
wow...can't believe the zionist comment. I wonder if there were no jewish people in the world who would everyone then find as a the evil of the world?
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Examiner Reader said:
obvious zionism of gavin newsom
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Examiner Reader said:
Dear Previous Poster, You are the typical self-appointed "mindguard" of the progressive tyranny of the City. You have the illusion of unanimity in your view of reality, belief in inherent morality...the list goes on and on. Actually your writing has all the characteristics of Germany in the late 30s. Truly a progressive facist...
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Examiner Reader said:
Is the eco-chic spokemodel Mayor flying on private jet with Dick Blum, DiFi's hubby who has profited billions off votes she has made? These people are total sleaze. They are vestiges of the past, including republican Newsom, get out of the way for Obama.
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Examiner Reader said:
Maybe this man needs to stick to playing 1st base for a softball team and get someone else to run the city. He already has his sites on the governor position and he has had his sites on that spot for some time, don't let him try to persuade you to believe anything different.
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