Jennifer Siebel Newsom on her legacy as California’s First Partner: Equal pay ‘wasn’t enough,’ so she turned to women’s wealth

California's First Partner and documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom will conclude her time in state office in January 2027, following Governor Gavin Newsom's final term. Siebel Newsom reflects on her accomplishments with pride, particularly her efforts to address women's wealth and the wealth gap. Despite California boasting the strongest equal pay laws in the nation, Siebel Newsom believes that was not enough, leading her to focus on women's wealth.

She launched #EqualPayCA in 2019 and introduced financial literacy requirements in California high schools starting with the 2030-31 graduating class. Siebel Newsom also championed CalKids, a savings program aimed at encouraging families to invest in their children's futures. She emphasized the importance of women as anchors in families and communities, and the economy, as well as the need to expand access to capital for female entrepreneurs.

Siebel Newsom believes that investing in universal pre-K, after-school programs, summer school, and school meals is crucial for mitigating costs and stress for families. She made a deliberate choice to use the title "first partner" instead of "first lady" to promote inclusivity and to demonstrate the value of partnership in government.

Siebel Newsom also established the California Women's Wealth Advisory Council to address the lack of representation for women in state government, noting her frustration at attending meetings dominated by men. Siebel Newsom is a Stanford University graduate and a documentary filmmaker known for her work on films such as Miss Representation, The Mask You Live In, and The Great American Lie.

Her latest film, Miss Representation: Rise Up, delves deeper into the challenges women face in the face of progress and technology used to harass and silence them, with a premiere scheduled for October 22 in New York City.