Profile: Gavin Newsom

This past week, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) announced (via Twitter) his candidacy for Governor of the State of California.

As a planning student, reading Newsom's executive summary "Better Neighborhoods and a Better City for Everyone" put nothing less than a smile on my face. Key points of the summary include:

• When creating more housing, placing an emphasis on creating unique and vibrant neighborhoods rather than flooding the city with more buildings.
• A Smart Transportation Plan (multi-nodal, green, safe)
• Focusing on street level planning (sidewalk improvements, outdoor seating, aesthetic designs)
• Reducing politcally-motivated decision-making in city-planning -- giving the planning commission a broader authority.

Also an advocate of the battle against homelessness, his initiative Project Homeless Connect, has been adopted in over 100 cities. Newsom brings an undeniable energy with him wherever he works, maybe one day in the near future, our state can sustain his leadership for a better future.

Gavin Newsom (Twitter)
Better Neighborhoods