Gavin Newsom’s secret meeting calendar shows 18 weekday workdays marked no official business in early 2025 after a long records fight.
Gavin Newsom’s secret meeting calendar shows the California governor logging zero official government business on 18 taxpayer-funded workdays during the first four months of 2025. The records, released only after a monthslong fight that required legal action, offer a rare look at how the state’s Democratic governor spends his time.
The calendars mark those 18 non-holiday weekdays as “no official business,” or roughly one out of every four workdays in the period reviewed. They also include 53 entries labeled only as “work time,” with large blocks left unexplained. On Feb. 6, Newsom’s only listed activity was a “work time” block from 2 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. The records suggest his normal workday runs about seven hours and that he often does not begin official business until after 9 a.m., while frequently ending before 5 p.m.
Newsom’s office says the calendar should not be read as a complete record of his day. Diana Crofts-Pelayo, speaking for the governor, said the entries only reflect meetings and other matters scheduled in advance. She said “no official business” does not mean Newsom was not working, only that he had no pre-scheduled events or meetings. The office also said the calendar may not always be updated after a planned meeting falls through. Even with those explanations, the schedule appears unusually sparse for a governor earning nearly $246,000 a year.
The calendar also lines up with a busy year of travel and public-facing appearances beyond California. Newsom spent time in Davos, Munich and London, while also making stops across the country on his book tour. One likely factor behind some of the empty weekdays is that tour, tied to his memoir, A Young Man in a Hurry, which many see as a key step toward a possible presidential run in 2028. The governor also has drawn attention for seeking national media coverage, including interviews and profiles in outlets such as Vogue, Politico, Marie Claire and Bloomberg.
“Gavin Newsom’s secret meeting calendar shows 18 weekday workdays marked no official business in early 2025 after a long records fight.”
There were still plenty of days when the calendar showed full schedules. Newsom spent more than 19 hours rehearsing his State of the State speech in January with communications director Bob Salladay. He also had a March 19 schedule that ran from 9:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. for remarks at the California Hall of Fame ceremony and the after-party. Other entries showed a March 30 energy video conference, a brief appearance at the North Salton Sea Conservancy in early April, and an Earth Day news conference in Fresno on April 22.
The records also show the governor meeting with business and political leaders, including executives from Procter & Gamble, Stripe, Sprouts Farmers Market and CommonSpirit Health, along with lawmakers, labor leaders and foreign diplomats. During overseas travel early in the year, his calendar included meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and David Lammy, the former deputy prime minister of Britain. Within California, the calendar shows travel to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Irvine, Fresno, Wasco, the Salton Sea and Deep Springs College near the Nevada border, though travel time was not listed.
Even so, parts of the schedule remain hidden. Seventeen entries were redacted, with the administration citing exemptions for deliberative process, personal security, attorney-client privilege, personnel matters and the privacy of prospective appointees. The governor’s office said releasing a fuller version of the calendar would interfere with deliberations.
Republican leaders seized on the release. Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, said Newsom appears to treat the governorship like a part-time job while pushing failed policies. For California voters, the calendar dispute raises a simple question about accountability: how much of a governor’s time is spent on the public’s business, and how much is spent on politics, travel and image-making?
Frequently asked questions
What did Newsom’s calendars show?
They showed 18 non-holiday weekdays in the first four months of 2025 marked no official business, plus 53 vague work time blocks.
Why were the calendars not released sooner?
The calendars were released after a monthslong delay that required legal intervention by The Post’s lawyers.
How did Newsom’s office defend the records?
His office said the calendars only list pre-scheduled meetings and are not a complete record of everything he did during the day.
What parts of the schedule remain hidden?
Seventeen entries were blacked out under exemptions covering deliberations, security, legal privilege, personnel matters and privacy for prospective appointees.
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