Ruby Rippey, a former appointments secretary to Gavin Newsom during his tenure as San Francisco mayor, has published an essay in Vanity Fair providing her detailed account of an extramarital affair with Newsom that took place more than two decades ago. At the time, Rippey was married to one of Newsom’s top aides. The essay marks the first time Rippey has publicly shared a comprehensive version of events surrounding the relationship.
Newsom, now in his final year as California governor, publicly acknowledged the affair in 2007 at a city hall press conference. In his recent memoir, Newsom characterizes their relationship as “the briefest of affairs” and states he disclosed it to Rippey’s husband, Alex Tourk. However, Rippey’s essay contests aspects of his account, arguing that his description gives him credit for revealing the relationship when she says she had already done so herself.
Rippey describes her experiences with alcoholism and substance abuse during the period of the affair, which eventually prompted her to enter rehabilitation and leave her position with the mayor’s office. Following the public disclosure of the relationship, Rippey faced intense media scrutiny. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Newsom’s current wife, publicly characterized Rippey as the “culprit” in 2007, remarks she later apologized for.
Rippey indicates that Kamala Harris, then serving as district attorney, advised her to delay speaking publicly about the matter. During the MeToo movement, Rippey observed narratives emerging that cast her as a “powerless subordinate,” a framing she initially questioned given her status as an adult woman. In her essay, Rippey reflects that both personal responsibility and workplace power dynamics played roles in the situation, writing that “both things are true.”
Rippey, now 20 years sober according to her account, has since remarried and reconciled her relationship with her former husband. The essay’s publication comes as Newsom is widely expected to pursue a presidential run in 2028.
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