It's a big long shadow to try to out run.

Told you so.

We wrote that the Fresh Prince of San Francisco would quit the Governor’s race by this fall Halloween.

People thought we were sniffing too much L’Oreal hair gel and that we were conspiracy theorists.

But we knew from the start that Gavin Newsom had no statewide political legs.

Plus, our sources were deep and proper. You wouldn’t believe how many of his former friends and supporters were willing to talk to us.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Gavin Newsom pulled out because of family.

Where have I heard that one before?

It’s all kind of bittersweet when you think about it.

Today, in celebration, all of us here at I Love You Gavin Newsom would like to dedicate this song to Gavin Newsom, whose decision to abandon his bid for governor has saved us from having to come up with at least seven more months of loving tributes.

I love you Gavin Newsom!

And the media just loves to report on Newsom’s tweets and his Twitter milestones.

Yes, the Newsom for California campaign has added hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers in the past several months.

Gavin Newsom Twitter stats provided by twittercounter.

This astonishing growth isn’t due to the Gavinator’s good looks and popularity, or the organic evolution of a real Internet audience.

Twitter actually gives these followers to Newsom when new Twitter users sign up.

They do it through their controversial Suggested User List (SUL) feature.

This is Gavin Newsom on Twitter's suggested user list.

You may have recently read some news stories and blog posts about Twitter’s SUL.

Through this feature, Twitter is aggregating and building an online audience that the Newsom for California campaign would otherwise have to pay to create, in the same way Newsom’s campaign today buys eyeballs and clicks from Google, Facebook, etc. to ultimately drive traffic to his campaign website.

But since Twitter is giving this non-monetary service to a registered political campaign without its value being disclosed, Gavin Newsom is violating California’s campaign finance law, you know, as he tweets.

California law states that a contribution can be defined as:

§18215(b)(3) Any goods or services received by or behested by a candidate or committee at no charge or at a discount from the fair market value, unless the discount is given in the regular course of business to members of the public.

Does being on Twitter’s SUL constitute a non-monetary contribution? YES.

Twitter is providing this free service to Gavin Newsom, a declared candidate for governor. Newsom uses Twitter to send his Twitter followers links to his campaign website and to campaign news stories promoting his candidacy.

Is this Twitter service discounted and given to members of the public in the regular course of business? NO.

The SUL is not for sale or accessible to the general public. Twitter is a private company so there is no knowing if they’ve been selling the service. Twitter publicly says they don’t charge for the service.

Recent news stories put Twitter’s SUL cash value around $250,000. And when you analyze Twitter’s SUL, it’s not random, and it doesn’t look like any member of the public can ask to be put on the list, or even pay to be on the list.

Essentially, being featured on the Twitter suggested user list is a corporate black box decision and benefit provided to select customers that is not available to the general public though Twitter’s regular course of business.

In the opinion of a campaign treasurer consultant:

Twitter is giving Gavin Newsom privileged access and promotion on its proprietary online network through the company’s suggested user list feature, an Internet media service that is not accessible or for sale to members of the general public. Therefore, the Newsom for California campaign is receiving a non-monetary contribution from Twitter that must be valued, declared and disclosed to come into compliance with California’s government code and Title 2 regulations as enforced by the FPPC.

When a non-monetary contribution like Twitter’s is received, the fair market value of the goods or service must be reported as required by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

Has Newsom reported such a contribution from Twitter? NO.

Now all Newsom has to do is have Gary South send Twitter a missive, ask them how much their SUL contribution is worth, and then go file FPPC Form 460, which is required by all official candidates for public office to disclose monetary and non-monetary campaign contributions of value.

If not, this cozy business relationship will continue to violate campaign finance law.

So, what’s the big deal anyway — I mean besides all this stuff being illegal?

Newsom hasn’t raised enough money to stay competitive and he’s lagging in all polls.

But he claims a formidable “online following” as a testament to his campaign strength.

Newsom has been accumulating Twitter followers primarily due to his campaign accepting a non-monetary contribution from Twitter – a contribution with significant value that legally must be reported.

But if Twitter pulled Gavin Newsom off their SUL, he’d be in for a rude surprise.

That’s right.

No more weekly “earned” media stories about Gavin being tech-savvy.

"This logo didn't poll well..."

By now you’ve read the news that Newsom for California decided to hold a contest to pick a new logo.

Wow, this is soooo exciting — I feel like I’m getting in on the ground floor of the most amazing grassroots campaign — ever!

Um, didn’t they already have a campaign logo?

Yeah, it’s that ugly one on the right with the lame font choice and horrible color combo.

I’m thinking this logo-picking public relations stunt thing might have been a good idea *before* Newsom started campaigning.

Now that implosion in full autumn bloom the timing couldn’t be worse, nor could the logos from which people had to choose.

Here is the “people’s choice” winner:

Here were their six “choices”:

I don’t like how this went down.

Not one bit. It’s not fair.

Maybe I’m just sore as hell because team Newsom didn’t go with my own very awesome and very creative and very original submission:

Newsom for Governor of Twitterfornia!

As Governor of Twitterfornia, Gavin Newsom will be limited to 140 character press releases and unfulfilled policy promises. Just like being mayor of San Francisco.

"...maybe they are counting wrong?"

Associated Press – A new Field Poll shows California Attorney General Jerry Brown with a strong lead in next year’s race for governor, even before he’s declared himself a candidate and despite months of campaigning by his Democratic rival and three Republicans vying for their party’s nomination.

The poll underscores the struggles of Newsom’s campaign.

He trailed Brown nearly 7-to-1 in fundraising during the first half of the year, even before Brown announced an exploratory committee last week that will allow him to collect larger campaign donations.

The bromance begins...

Newsweek – As political life goes, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom had a good day yesterday.

He jetted south from the city by the bay to meet up with his new buddy President Clinton.

Then, according to the L.A. Times, the pair talked with a group of students about green energy and jobs before heading to a fundraiser that, with Clinton by Newsom’s side, surely made for a pocket-padding evening.

Read between the lines, though, and the picture doesn’t look quite as rosy for him. Newsom’s problem is one of poor timing, which reveals many more weaknesses in his campaign than strengths.

With more than a year to go before California’s 2010 gubernatorial showdown, Newsom had raised just $1.2 million as of this summer when fundraising numbers were last disclosed.

It might be a respectable amount for governors’ races in other states, but it’s chump change next to his leading opponent’s $7.4 million in the bank. Even his would-be GOP rival (in a state that traditionally goes blue) has outraised him more than sixfold.

Several Democratic insiders who once believed Newsom had one of the best shots at the crown now tell him that to maintain his credibility, he’ll need at the very least a few more million in the bank before the end of the year.

If not, he’ll look like a weak candidate who, perhaps suspiciously, can’t build momentum.

Ouch.

Gavin and Tom in happy daze.

Gavin Newsom is no education mayor.

But by continually stealing credit for other people’s ideas, he is trying to position himself as strong on education.

This time, he’s stealing credit as a guest blogger on Huffington Post.

In San Francisco, we have a robust rainy day fund. We drew down on our reserves to make sure not a single teacher in San Francisco was laid off…

It’s true that the city has this rainy day fund.  But the mayor of San Francisco has no control over the schools or the education system. The fund wasn’t even Gavin’s idea.

In fact, this “robust rainy day fund” was the idea of then Supervisor Tom Ammiano, a former public school teacher, and today a state assemblyman.

I guess the man-child mayor thinks that if he associates himself with something positive, or says something often enough, people will believe him.

Well, just because you say something doesn’t mean it’s true.

"Gavin, you've been practicing your eye contact..."

By now you’ve heard the news that former two-term U.S. president Bill Clinton is endorsing two-term San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense – they are both accomplished two-timers.

But this political romance is more about Clinton’s hate of Jerry Brown, than his affectation for the man-child mayor. Or so says conventional wisdom.

Sure, Newsom endorsed Hillary before she lost to my main man, B.  But even I don’t think that’s enough political skin to earn an ounce of flesh from WJC.

No, I’m sure Bill Clinton finally saw the opportunity to fuck over his 1992 nemesis. That’s what got the former president to unzip for this endorsement.

But it ain’t no thing.

Clinton will host maybe two-fundraising events for Newsom and maybe raise one or two million bucks for the Gavinator from Hollyweird. That’s not even enough scrillah for a fair game of catch up in the money race.

After the fundraisers, Clinton won’t waste political capital on the SS Gavin Newsom.

Time to go back to bartending?

Sources inside San Francisco City Hall and close to the Newsom campaign say it’s just a matter of time before Gavin Newsom quits his bid for the Democratic Party nomination in the 2010 California governor’s race.

Citing poor results in polls both statewide and locally and little fundraising traction, supporters and detractors alike say the Newsom campaign is a ship about to sink.

They point to over-the-summer stories of key long-time aides jumping ship and the fact that Gary South, his paid statewide campaign consultant, is failing to build team chemistry between remaining loyalists, as well as inspiring new people to join the team.

Additionally, sources close to Alex Tourk (the former best friend and campaign manager of Gavin Newsom) cited that renewed and damaging sex scandal allegations were privately presented to the Newsom campaign team.

Tourk allies, upset over Newsom’s attempt to rewrite history in recent interviews with national publications, told the Newsom for California campaign through intermediaries that more details of Newsom’s past would be leaked to national media.

Differences in strategy on how to continually message and spin Newsom’s sordid past was one major reason given as to why Eric Jaye, Gavin’s former long-time political advisor and consultant, left the struggling gubernatorial campaign.

As to the timing of his announcement to quit the governor’s race, sources close to Jaye say that Newsom will wait until the birth of his child and cite that major life event as the excuse for withdrawing from the race.

These anonymous sources say that there will be an “I am quitting the governor’s race so I can spend more time with my family” press release, sometime this fall around Halloween.

At least Gavin has a fall-back job — he can finally be mayor of San Francisco.

More likely, he’ll run for a less competitive statewide office or just go back to being a bartender at Plumpjack.

More flash than fashion sense?

Los Angeles Times – The LA Times just printed a Gavin Newsom profile piece that ain’t no fluff.

Angelinos now know the Newsom that San Francisco knows – an absentee mayor lacking substance who governs by press releases.

“Once he’s said it and it’s printed in the newspapers, it’s done in his mind,” said Jim Ross, a political consultant who ran Newsom’s 2003 campaign for mayor. “Then it’s on to the next big announcement.”

Would-be allies say they rarely hear from the mayor. Department heads complain about a lack of guidance. Newsom perpetually wars with the 11-member Board of Supervisors, raising the question of how he would deal with Sacramento’s querulous 120-member Legislature.

Homelessness remains a problem; the city’s official tally shows that more than 6,500 people lack permanent shelter, a slight rise over the last four years after a big decline. Portions of Market Street, the city’s grand boulevard, reek of urine. Muni, the city’s public transit system, is a constant source of complaint. Bayview-Hunter’s Point, the historically poor, black neighborhood, appears as isolated and desperate as ever. Affordable housing is, for many, an oxymoron.

And some of Newsom’s biggest backers – in civic groups and policy circles, among political activists and campaign donors – have in the last few years become some of the mayor’s sharpest critics.

In a series of interviews, they expressed disappointment and accused Newsom, in words oft-repeated, of focusing more on self-aggrandizement and personal publicity than solving the city’s problems.

Of course the man-child mayor denied all of these criticisms in the Times’ story, because afterall, Gavin Newsom lives on Fantasy Island.

"Why do they say such things?"

SF Weekly — Seek out the political operatives who once worked closely with Newsom, and you’ll find that a number have soured on the mayor.

Ask them why, and you’ll be bombarded with his alleged character flaws. Among them: “thin-skinned,” “disloyal,” “friendless,” “joyless,” “Machiavellian,” “craven,” and “empty.”

One will tell you that Eric Jaye was “the best-paid babysitter in California.”

Several diagnose Newsom with an acute case of narcissism.

“He’s probably the worst mayor in modern history,” said Jack Davis, a strategist who has worked on the mayoral campaigns of Newsom, Willie Brown, and Frank Jordan. “I pity this poor state if lightning should strike and this cad becomes governor amidst the problems that the state has. He’d have a nervous breakdown. There’s no there there.”

Although there are also fervent supporters, dozens of interviews with City Hall staffers, strategists, and fundraisers yielded a surprising amount of disapproval.

Well-known consultants Jim Ross and Bob Brigham — who both worked on Newsom’s 2003 campaign — and 2007 campaign staffer David Latterman all have reservations.

“I’m concerned that his record and his temperament will not be fully vetted by the press,” Ross said.

Brigham was more direct. “I think Gavin would be a pretty awful governor,” he said, though he’s not too worried about it happening: “I don’t see any path to the nomination anymore.”