In 2004, Newsom gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

[2] In August 2004, the California Supreme Court annulled the marriages that Newsom had authorized, as they conflicted with state law at that time.

[3][4][5] Newsom decided to act on the issue of same sex marriage when he attended the 2004 State of the Union Address as a guest of Nancy Pelosi.

In the address, President George W. Bush voiced support for a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage.

In the weeks following the address, Newsom asked his staff to gather background information and to explore how the city could start issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples without alerting the media.

[6] Approximately 4,000 same-sex couples were issued licenses in San Francisco from February 12 until March 11, 2004 (when the weddings were halted by the California Supreme Court), bringing international attention to the Mayor and the City.

[7] Following this decision, San Francisco and nearly two dozen gay couples sued the state of California on the issue of same sex marriage.

[8] Many prominent Democrats, such as Dianne Feinstein, criticized Newsom for issuing the directive for same sex marriage licenses, claiming it had contributed to John Kerry's defeat in the 2004 presidential election.

[3][4] Former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown has stated that Barack Obama declined to have his picture taken with Newsom at a fundraiser in 2004.

[9] The 2004 same sex marriages increased Newsom's popularity in San Francisco to the level where he faced no serious opposition to his reelection in 2007.

[4][9] The Award Winning Documentary Film Pursuit of Equality, which was directed by the Mayor's brother-in-law, Geoff Callan, chronicles these events.

Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage, was a big topic during the 2008 election, and Newsom was a prominent and vocal opponent.

[10] In the months leading up to Election Day, Proposition 8 supporters released a commercial featuring Newsom saying the following words in a speech regarding same-sex marriage: "This door's wide open now.

"[11] Some observers noted that polls shifted in favor of Proposition 8 following the release of the commercial; this, in turn, led to much speculation about Newsom's unwitting role in the passage of the amendment.

[11][12][13][14][15] For instance, a January 2009 Newsweek article states: [A]sk average Californians what they remember about Newsom at the moment, and they're likely to offer six words: "whether you like it or not".

SF HOT functions as a short-term intensive case management team, assisting the most disabled homeless individuals to access health, social and housing services.

[17] Newsom has worked to address these problems with affordable housing and has claimed that the new high tech companies will also bring some blue collar jobs to San Francisco.

[1] In an attempt to provide universal wireless Internet access to city residents free of charge, Newsom spent 18 months trying to develop a city-wide Wi-Fi zone.

[17] Google WiFi partnered with entrepreneur Jaz Banga, and his company Feeva, beginning in 2005 to provide free Wi-Fi in Union Square, but the plan was to blanket the city.

[30] On April 23, 2007, Newsom again drew national attention when he announced at a community action held by the San Francisco Organizing Project that he would do everything he could to discourage federal authorities from conducting immigration raids.

[33] In July 2008, following the high profile murder of a local father and his two sons by a previously arrested undocumented immigrant, as reported on CNN,[34] Newsom announced that San Francisco would change its policy of shielding undocumented immigrants who had committed other crimes and that San Francisco would begin to cooperate with the federal government in that regard.

[37] Newsom's proposal has prompted Oakland mayor Ron Dellums and San Mateo County's Board of Supervisors to look into possibilities for providing their own taxpayer-subsidized health care.

[7] On April 9, 2008, Newsom and Police Chief Fong decided to use the alternative route for the Olympic torch run through San Francisco.

[48] The task force conducting the review consisted of current and former government officials with backgrounds in transportation and public finance.

Muni will also continue efforts to hire more drivers and street supervisors and increase enforcement against motorists who block bus lanes.

[4] Newsom has been criticized for having a large number of press releases, made for TV news conferences, and catchy names to new initiatives that might be obscuring what is actually accomplished.

[4][53][54] After his reelection, Newsom was criticized by Supervisor Peskin for taking a vacation in Hawaii during the 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill.

[53] Newsom defended his decision to continue with his three-day vacation plans, claiming that he was in constant contact with his aides and that other agencies were overseeing the crisis.

[4] Newsom started his second term with a clean slate after asking for and receiving open letters of resignation from city commissioners and department heads prior to his 2007 reelection.

[66] Newsom defended these hires by claiming his office would come in under budget and that using MTA and other department funds to pay for the mayor's policy directors is common practice.