Gov. Gavin Newsom and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra slipped into Tommy's Mexican Restaurant on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco on Wednesday for a brief, private sit-down that quickly caught public attention. Photos show the two men smiling and shaking hands at the longtime neighborhood spot, and both of their offices later described the meetup as a short, policy-focused exchange, even as interest swirled because Becerra is now a leading candidate to replace Newsom as governor.
Images that Newsom posted on X capture the pair greeting each other, and his team said the conversation touched on healthcare, housing, the economy, small businesses, abortion, climate issues and the Trump administration, according to the New York Post. The outlet also reported that the California Republican Party blasted the gathering as a staged photo op rather than a purely workmanlike policy check-in.
Tommy's, a family-run Yucatán restaurant on Geary Boulevard, is best known in San Francisco for its margaritas and extensive tequila selection. The business traces its roots to 1965 and bills itself as a destination for Yucatán-style fare, according to Tommy's Mexican Restaurant.
What They Discussed
Newsom’s team framed the encounter as a substantive conversation tightly centered on state policy priorities rather than campaign maneuvering. The New York Post reports that Becerra later weighed in on X, writing that “we’ve fought side by side for California families — and together, we’re going to keep this state moving forward.”
Why It Matters
Xavier Becerra advanced out of June’s top-two primary and has emerged as one of the likely general-election contenders to succeed Newsom, according to The Washington Post. After the primary, Newsom formally threw his support behind Becerra, removing any remaining doubt about where the outgoing governor stood, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
From here, political observers will be looking to see whether that quick handshake at Tommy’s evolves into a more visible partnership, with fundraisers, joint appearances or coordinated messaging on policy, or whether it goes down as a single, low-key meeting over policy agendas. For the moment, both offices insist the encounter was focused on the work, casting it as routine state business rather than a campaign stop.
