West

Newsom staffer who told California reporter to ‘f— off’ is raking in massive taxpayer-funded salary

Published

1 month ago

February 27, 2026

Newsom staffer who told California reporter to ‘f— off’ is raking in massive taxpayer-funded salary

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Isaac “Izzy” Gardon, the communications director for Gov. Gavin Newsom who made headlines earlier this week for telling a national reporter to “f— off” after she pressed him on the California governor’s reported dyslexia diagnosis, is raking in a hefty six-figure salary, a Fox News Digital review found.

While Newsom’s dyslexia diagnosis has been public for decades, interest in the matter was amplified amid the California governor’s book tour he launched this month. During one of his first stops on the tour, in Atlanta, Newsom was asked about his dyslexia in conversation with Democratic Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens, who asked what he hoped readers would take away from the discussion about his diagnosis in the governor’s new book.

“I’m like you. I’m no better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy,” Newsom said in response, garnering criticism online that he was pandering to the Black community.

Amid the rebukes from MAGA world and Republicans, Real Clear Politics (RCP) national correspondent Susan Crabtree reached out to Gardon for verification on his childhood disability diagnosis. In response, Gardon told her to “respectfully, f— off.”

Democratic Party Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, holds up his new memoir during a book tour event in South Carolina earlier this month. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The testy response led to further criticism targeting Newsom’s office and Gardon, including from RCP’s Carl Cannon, who questioned why people who are offended so deeply by Trump “consistently imitate his worst behavior.” Newsom’s press office has been known to meet the White House’s pointed and often hostile social media posts targeting Democrats, which frequently include AI generated images, with similarly hostile social media posts targeting Trump and Republicans.

When reached for comment on this story, Gardon told Fox News Digital that “Susan is not a journalist.”

“She’s a MAGA blogger who writes about conspiracy theories,” Gardon added.

Transparent California, a statewide public pay and pension database, revealed that Gardon is being paid quite handsomely to be one of Newsom’s most ardent defenders online. Gardon has risen in stature from an administrative assistant making around $30,000 per year in 2019, to earning $212,154.02 in 2024 as a senior assistant and communications director in Newsom’s office.

NEWSOM BLASTED BY CA GOP CHAIR OVER VIRAL CLIP LABELED ‘RACIST’ BY CRITICS: ‘HE SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) seen laughing at an event earlier this month hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Gardon’s “regular pay” in 2024 was $152,091.05. That was also supplemented by nearly $57,000 in benefits and another $3,141.16 in “other pay,” according to the database, leading to a combined annual payment of $212,154.02. However, his current pay, which does not appear to be publicly available online, is likely to be higher.

Following news of Gardon’s response to Crabtree’s follow-up, a senior reporter for the California Post also shared an email from Gardon in response to one of his media inquiries.

In Gardon’s response, he referred to the New York Post as the “New York Comic Book.” Then, when Koehn followed up, indicating the San Francisco Chronicle was covering the same story, Gardon replied, “I’d put that outlet in the same bucket,” according to Koehn, who posted screenshots of the pair’s back-and-forth on X.

A man is seen holding a copy of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new memoir titled “Young Man In A Hurry.” (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

While some top Newsom staffers have praised Gardon’s style, including his boss and senior advisor of communications, Bob Salladay, who told Politico that “Izzy’s creativity and imagination is part of what the governor is doing.” Some Democratic operatives have vocally been critical about his communication style, including Garry Tan, a prolific Democratic donor and CEO of Y Combinator

“Most unprofessional person to ever work in politics,” Tan posted on X. “Izzy Gardon brings shame to the Newsom campaign.”

In addition to the email, Gardon came under fire earlier this month when he referred to rapper and MAGA activist Nicki Minaj as a “stupid hoe” on X. He defended his social media post by pointing to her 2012 song called, “Stupid Hoe.”

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San Francisco, CA

Our Trip to San Francisco | Cup of Jo

Published

54 minutes ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

toby sutro baths

This year, Toby and Anton are in different schools, so they have different spring breaks, for the first time ever. The silver lining was that we could take one-on-one trips, which felt really special. Last week, Toby and I went to San Francisco to visit our family…

Lucy Kalanithi

As soon as we arrived, we beelined to my sister Lucy’s house. How cute is she?

niece

My niece and I have a long tradition of playing Block Blast while chatting about everything/nothing in particular; so after taking an evening walk and eating pasta for dinner, we did just that.

sutro baths

The next day, Toby and I went to Sutro Baths, the former public indoor swimming pool complex. The fresh ocean air felt so good on our faces.

escape from Alcatraz comic book

We also got this cool comic book to bring home to Anton.

packing list

Separately, since we’ve talked about packing a lot in the past, I was happy with my packing strategy! Mostly black, white, cream, gray, and blue, so everything was mix and match. Pictured here: jacket, shirt, jeans, and similar loafers.

We borrowed my sister’s car to get around, but one afternoon, just for fun, we took a self-driving Waymo. Watching the steering wheel turn on its own is trippy at first but soon feels VERY safe — Waymos are basically like A+ students, who come to a full roll-back stop at every stop sign. My brother-in-law Jeevan told me that he once saw a line of 10 Waymos patiently following a garbage truck up a hill without even attempting to go around, haha.

toby

We were lucky enough to see some friends, like Julia and her toddler daughter…

toby

…who gazed at teenager Toby like he was the world’s biggest celebrity.

warriors game

We also went to a Warriors game with some pals.

warriors game

A real nail-biter…

warriors game

…but they pulled off a 109-106 victory in the final MINUTE.

warriors jacket Elias Guting

Also, how cool is this jacket???? The guy wearing it told me it was made by Elias Guting.

Lombard street

The next day, Toby and I walked along the water, explored the Ferry Building, and drove down twisty Lombard Street (hard to capture in photos!).

kalanithis

Last but not least, we had dinner with the cousins…

toby dr Kalanithi

…and did a quick height check. As I took this photo, Dr. Kalanithi asked, “Are we the same?????” to which I replied, “Not even a little bit.”

California trip

Finally, we said goodbye and flew home, stepping over this dude’s foot every time we had to get up lol. It was such a joyous trip and we felt so, so lucky to be able to see everyone. California, we love you!

Where does your family live? Close by or far away? How do you stay in touch? My sister and I also do five-minute phone calls.

P.S. Past California trips, and what it’s like to be twins.

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Denver, CO

Denver weather: Seasonal with spotty showers

Published

1 hour ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Denver weather: Seasonal with spotty showers

DENVER (KDVR) – Denver and most of Colorado will see overcast skies Tuesday as some light showers push in later in the day.

Weather today: Mostly cloudy

Clouds will linger over the entire state Tuesday as temperatures are cooler or more seasonal in the lower 60s. Winds will be brisk through a majority of the day, and the area could see a late shower.

Weather tonight: Cloudy skies

A quick shower is possible early in the metro area, but clouds linger all night. Overnight lows will dip into the upper 30s, with a slowing wind.

Winter Weather Advisories go into effect at 6 p.m. Tuesday night and last through 9 p.m. Wednesday. Most of the snow will melt in mountain towns and the snowfall maps below do not account for melting. You have to head above 9,000 feet to really start to see any accumulation.

Looking ahead: Drier end of the week

Wednesday brings better chances for some spotty showers to the metro area as highs stay in the lower 60s. Cloudy skies stick around through mid-week as snow falls in the mountains. That system will clear out overnight and into Thursday with clearing skies through the afternoon. Highs on Thursday will be comfy in the lower 70s.

Friday adds some extra clouds, but the forecast is trending drier and drier for Rockies Opening Day as highs should top out in the middle 50s. Saturday starts a slow warming trend as highs make it to the upper 50s with more sunshine. Sunday is even warmer as highs reach the middle 60s with sunny skies. Monday kicks off the next workweek with sunny skies and highs around 70 degrees.

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Seattle, WA

Here Are Seattle’s 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees

Published

1 hour ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Here Are Seattle’s 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees

The James Beard Awards Foundation announced its official 2026 slate of award nominees on Tuesday, March 31, and two Seattle names are among them.

Johnny Courtney of the classic-feeling Atoma and Aaron Tekulve of the celebratory Surrell were among the whittled-down names of nominees, each in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category.

The news comes after 15 Seattle restaurants and bars were originally under consideration when the long list of semifinalists was revealed back in January. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 15.

Considered one of the restaurant industry’s most coveted awards, the honors span categories such as Restaurant and Chef Awards, Media Awards (Book, Broadcast Media, Journalism), and Achievement Awards. Last year, the foundation introduced the new category of Impact Awards, which it describes as recognizing “achievement by individuals and/or organizations who are actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry.”

The full list of nominations can be found here.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.

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