California Governor Gavin Newsom promised for years to release his tax returns every single year in office, calling it a “moral duty” — then let reporters peek at them for a few hours without so much as a photocopy.
Story Snapshot
- Newsom’s office let reporters view, but not copy, more than 700 pages of tax records covering 2021 through 2024 on July 31, 2026.
- The rules banned cameras, phones, photocopies, and even smart glasses — pen and paper only.
- Newsom pledged in 2017 to release his returns every year in office, calling it a “moral duty,” but hadn’t done so publicly since 2022.
- The release lands as the Department of Justice reportedly examines the finances of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and others close to him.
- Records show the couple earned $1.7 million to $2 million a year from 2022 to 2024, and at least $11 million total since Newsom became governor.
A Broken Promise Years in the Making
Gavin Newsom made a big promise back in 2017. He said he’d release his tax returns every single year he served as governor. He called it the “moral duty” of anyone seeking higher office. That pledge sounded good on the campaign trail. But once he actually became governor, the annual releases quietly stopped.
Reporting shows Newsom last made a return public back in 2022, and that filing only covered the 2020 tax year. For nearly four years after that, nothing came out. Reporters kept asking. Newsom’s office kept dodging. It took a federal investigation and mounting media pressure before his team finally moved.
Millions Earned, Records Kept Under Wraps
On July 31, 2026, Newsom’s office finally acted. Reporters got to view more than 700 pages of tax records at the state capitol in Sacramento. But there was a catch. Nobody could photograph, photocopy, or even bring smart glasses into the room. Only pen and paper were allowed.
The documents showed Newsom and his wife earned between $1.7 million and $2 million every year from 2022 through 2024. Most of that money came from wineries, restaurants, and other business investments. Since Newsom first took office, the couple has pulled in at least $11 million. The family also spent close to $200,000 on household staff last year alone.
Newsom’s spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, insisted the governor was “voluntarily making all remaining filed tax returns available” in the name of transparency, and claimed he went beyond what state law required. That framing conveniently skips over the fact that his own past promises set a much higher bar than any state statute ever did.
Timing Raises Eyebrows Amid Federal Probe
This release didn’t happen in a vacuum. Federal authorities are reportedly examining financial dealings tied to Jennifer Siebel Newsom and people in the governor’s orbit. Just weeks earlier, Newsom got visibly testy with reporters who pressed him about the missing returns, even as speculation grew about a possible 2028 White House run.
California’s own disclosure law, Senate Bill 27, which Newsom signed himself in 2019, only requires candidates for governor or president to release their five most recent tax returns before appearing on the ballot. It says nothing about releasing returns every single year while serving in office. That’s a promise Newsom made on his own — and one his own law didn’t force him to keep.
Tax returns show Gov. Gavin Newsom earning between $1.7 million and $2 million annually https://t.co/4i2SRIMy3F pic.twitter.com/fSYkPVdy28
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) August 1, 2026
Newsom’s office also noted the 2025 return wasn’t included because the couple filed for an extension and doesn’t expect to finish that filing until October. That’s a fair explanation for one missing year. It does nothing to explain the three-year gap before it, or why the public still can’t get a copy of any of these documents for themselves.
Conservatives watching this story see a familiar pattern. A politician makes a bold promise about transparency, lets years slip by without keeping it, then times a limited, tightly controlled disclosure to blunt growing criticism and a federal probe. Reporters got to look. The public still can’t. For a governor who may run for president promising accountability, that’s a shaky foundation.
Sources:
nypost.com, kcra.com, calmatters.org, freebeacon.com
