San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in a real mess

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was caught having an affair with a female staffer who was the wife of his campaign manager. Newsom has apologized for the affair, which has resulted in the resignation of his campaign manager. Chronicle photo by Liz Hafalia

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we've had ourselves a little sex scandal over the past three days. It appears that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was caught having an affair with a female staffer, who was the wife of his campaign manager:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said this morning that reports of an affair with an assistant in his office 18 months ago are true and apologized for the ``personal lapse of judgment.''

``I want to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true, and I am deeply sorry about that,'' Newsom said about the affair with the aide, who is also the wife of his former campaign manager.

The usually smiling Newsom appeared grim and would not take any questions from the dozens of reporters who packed his City Hall office.

And this has prompted his campaign manager to resign:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife while she worked in the mayor's office, City Hall sources said.

Alex Tourk, 39, who served as Newsom's deputy chief of staff before becoming his campaign manager in September, confronted the mayor after his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, told him of the affair as part of a rehabilitation program she had been undergoing for substance abuse, said the sources, who had direct knowledge of Wednesday's meeting.

Radio producer and host Ruby Rippey-Tourk. Photo by Drew Altizer, Special to the Chronicle

Rippey-Tourk, 34, was the mayor's appointments secretary from the start of his administration in 2004 until last spring. She told her husband that the affair with Newsom was short-lived and happened about a year and a half ago, while the mayor was undergoing a divorce from his then-wife, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, said the sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified.

Alex Tourk "confronted the mayor on the issue this afternoon, expressed his feeling about the situation in an honest and pointed way, and resigned," said one source close to Tourk and his wife.

Alex Tourk served as Mayor Gavin Newsom's deputy chief of staff before becoming his campaign manager in September. Fogcityjournal.com photo, 2006, by Luke Thomas

Tourk's resignation was announced in a statement that Newsom's campaign released Wednesday. The statement quoted Tourk as saying only that he was resigning for personal reasons.

The statement quoted Newsom, 39, as saying he had accepted the resignation with great sadness.

What can I say--we've got a local politician who got caught with his pants down. The story should have blown over in the past 24 hours. But it hasn't. Now the story has been picked up by Newsweek. And Newsweek has spun this sex scandal into a political discussion of Newsom's career future:

Whether voters will forgive him is another matter. Even in famously permissive San Francisco, news that the popular young mayor had cuckolded a close friend left the public reeling—and Newsom’s political future in doubt. Until now, Newsom, with approval ratings around 70 percent, had been considered a shoo-in for re-election in November. And despite controversy over his move three years ago to legalize gay marriage, Newsom, 39, was still considered one of the country’s hottest mayors and a rising star in the Democratic Party. For now, Newsom has no credible opponent for his re-election bid, even though several city supervisors were reportedly licking their chops at the prospect of Newsom’s downfall. The bigger problem may come down the road, when Newsom is expected to square off against Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, another young Democratic star—for either the U.S. Senate seat held by Diane Feinstein, now 73, or for governor, when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term expires in 2010.

You've got to love this wild speculation--Newsom's career is finished. Even better yet, Newsweek delves into Newsom's past, bringing up drinking problems, his 2005 divorce from Fox News commentator Kimberly Guilfoyle, and his dating of controversial women, such as television actress Sofia Milos. Is this all relevant to Newsom's political career? I really don't know, nor do I really care. Newsom is still young at 39, and he is still the mayor of one of the nation's most liberal cities. He has plenty of time to repair the damage done to his political career.

Of course, San Francisco is famous for another controversial mayor with his own scandals. According to the Newsweek story:

The soap opera doesn’t have to matter as long as Newsom does his job, says former mayor Willie Brown, a veteran of his own scandals. During his second term in office, Brown readily admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock with his campaign fund-raiser. “Being a hedonist is not a disability in San Francisco,” Brown told NEWSWEEK. “That’s what the city is all about. You can get loaded every single night of the week, and as long as you show up crisp and ready for work each morning, that’s what people care about.” Veteran Chronicle reporter Phil Matier has seen his share of Fog City mayors in trouble. “The falls aren’t generally fatal,” he says. “But they are fascinating.”

For inspiration, Newsom may want to look to popular figures who have tumbled before him, only to rise again. “Voters are going to want to give someone they like so much a second chance,” says Democratic strategist and former Clinton adviser Chris Lehane. “Let’s not forget that when his marriage broke up, Rudy Giuliani moved out of Gracie Mansion and into a household with two gay gentleman and their Shih Tzu, and now he’s running for president.” Maybe it’s time for Newsom to get a dog.

Got to love the mixing of sex and politics.