S.F. Mayor Newsom running for Calif. governor

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) officially announced Tuesday he’s running for governor of California in a multilingual web video posted to his website.

“Well, there’s no stronger way for me to say it myself: I’m a candidate for governor of California because I know we can do better,” Newsom said in the video.

Newsom raised a national profile in 2004 after acting to legalize gay marriage in San Francisco, only to have that move shot down by the state’s Supreme Court. Newsom alluded to that stance, playing up his work “protecting equality for all Americans” in his announcement.

“The truth is, we can’t afford to keep returning to the same old tired ideas, and expect a different result,” the mayor said in his annoucement. “We need new ideas, and bold, fresh, innovative solutions to get out of this mess.”

Newsom touted his city’s work to expand healthcare, improve schools, and manage the budget in his announcement.

“Many of you know me,” he said. “You know I’ve never been afraid to tackle big problems or offer bold ideas.”