“The woman is the culprit”

Pub date March 11, 2007
SectionPolitics Blog

By Steven T. Jones
Omigod. Like, omigod. Where do I even begin to dissect the comments by Gavin girlfriend Jennifer Siebel in today’s Chronicle Style section profile ? Let’s start with the money quote: “the woman is the culprit,” which she spoke in reference Ruby Rippey-Tourk, who had sexual relations with the mayor even though she was his employee and the wife of his right hand man. To be fair, maybe Siebel didn’t realize that she is the first Newsom proxy to attack Rippey-Tourk in print, something many journalists and women’s groups feared might happen in the election year. Because in reading this profile, she seems to be perfect for Newsom in several key ways: she’s gullible, good-looking, well-born, and not terribly smart. But that isn’t even the most interesting revelation in this article, which is that this relationship (which she claims is already “love” after six months) was arranged by Newsom’s political advisors (“after running a background check, one of the mayor’s staffers invited her”) and the Wilsey family (who is leading the oppositon to Healthy Saturdays and has convinced Newsom to oppose it) just as the news of Newsom dating a 20-year-old hostess broke and when the Rippey-Tourk affair was heading in that direction.