Gavin Newsom Quotations

As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public art that is daring and, when appropriate, daringly traditional

Involvement in the arts engages kids in their community, improves self-esteem, reclaims at-risk youth, and builds the creative skills that are required of a 21st century workforce

As mayor of San Francisco, I will provide the vision and work hard to make San Francisco a beautiful, well-planned city with excellent housing and transportation options

San Francisco has long been a leader in the arts, nurturing generations of painters, sculptors, poets, novelists, playwrights, film-makers, and performing artists and innovators of every kind.

The arts can play a vital role in revitalizing neighborhoods, using and improving vacant space, bringing new jobs and new sense of opportunity, and improving public safety by generating more foot traffic and more eyes on the street.

Livable neighborhoods with a vibrant street life will stimulate our economic life as well.

The 21st Century has begun as an era of uncertainty, with a heightened focus on security and public safety.

The value of an arts education is widely accepted, especially in California.

Like any small business owner, I experienced the pressures of building a company from the ground up - developing a business plan, balancing the books, meeting payroll and building a customer base

An arts education helps build academic skills and increase academic performance, while also providing alternative opportunities to reward the skills of children who learn differently.

Accessing capital to start a business can be a daunting process, especially for entrepreneurs who start out with a great idea, but have no real familiarity with the business world

Cultural tourism surveys consistently rate San Francisco's art industry as a core reason for visiting

City government can and must help San Franciscans prepare for emergencies in order to avoid tragedy where possible and minimize loss of life and property when emergencies occur

As Mayor, I will use my experience to make San Francisco a place where small businesses can thrive

San Franciscans know we live in the most beautiful city in the world, a jewel on the edge of the Golden Gate

Street and park trees provide tremendous benefits to cities.

San Francisco can no longer afford to be a city divided between downtown and neighborhoods, with a downtown that becomes a ghost town when workers go home for the evening

We recognize that the arts are an essential part of San Francisco's cultural vitality.

San Francisco lags behind other communities in providing a vital, vibrant and ecologically sustainable urban canopy, as well as open space in the city.

We can build new housing while preserving the quality and character of adjacent residential districts and ensuring infill development strengthens the surrounding neighborhood.

But living in uncertain times does not mean San Franciscans must live in fear

During the 1990s, San Francisco lived through one of the most intense economic booms of its history

Historically, San Franciscans have not valued street trees as much as other communities have

As Mayor of San Francisco, I will work hard to ensure that, in the event of natural or man-made disasters, San Franciscans are prepared and our City is protected

As Mayor, I will lead city government, businesses, and community groups to support innovative projects that will make San Francisco streets and public places vibrant and healthy

San Francisco businesses face many challenges, including high rents, regulatory burdens, and the rising cost of workers compensation insurance and employee health plans

The extremes are we have over 550 people in San Francisco earning over $100,000 a year, ... Principally, that's based on the ability to generate upwards of 90 percent of their salary in overtime expenditures.

My heart is heavy, ... I respectfully disagree with the Supreme Court's decision, but I respect the court and will respect the order.

I am disappointed but I confess I'm not particularly surprised,

I feel we are very well prepared for a disaster ... but the reality is you can never be prepared enough. Never.

Green and clean neighborhoods are essential to the quality of life, economic development, social fabric, and environmental health of San Francisco.

These are senseless inexplicable things that are beyond the pale of imagination, ... It makes you, frankly, sick to your stomach to think you live in a society where things like this could have happened.

A primary goal of my administration will be to expand housing opportunities in and around the downtown, with an emphasis on building walkable, fullservice neighborhoods for our growing workforce.

As a major international City, San Francisco must form strong partnerships with federal and state agencies to prepare for emergencies.

As Mayor, I will partner with community organizations, nonprofits, the business community and residents to improve San Francisco's quality of life.

This is about bringing the heart and soul of San Francisco back to the forefront,

This is inevitable; it's long overdue; and the public has a fundamental right to have access to information,

This president [Obama] has done more for the LGBT community than any president in history. It's just an objective fact. And his legacy is secure in terms of the advancement of the rights of the LGBT community, from Don't Ask, Don't Tell to his support for overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, and of course marriage equality, work on HIV and AIDS, and other things.

While I am humbled by the widespread encouragement of so many and hold in the highest esteem those who serve us in federal office, I know that my head and my heart, my young family's future, and our unfinished work all remain firmly in the State of California - not Washington D.C. Therefore I will not seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2016.

It's the old adage, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained, ... While this is unique, we consider ourselves unique.

The arts give us our identity as a community; they also draw new people, fresh visions, and renewable economic opportunity to our community.

This door's wide open now. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not.

If you distill the essence of everything, what life is about, every single one of us is given a short moment in time on this planet, and we all have one universal need and desire, and that is to be loved and to love.

Be willing to make bold decisions and be willing to make glorious mistakes. Learn from your mistakes, but you've got to be willing to make them first.

Failure isn't something to be embarrassed about; it's just proof that you're pushing your limits, trying new things, daring to innovate.