Who is Gavin Newsom? Here are 4 facts about California's governor

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California declares state of emergency after first coronavirus death

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declares a state of emergency after the state confirmed its first death due to coronavirus; reaction and analysis from Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom has seen his profile rise, like other governors, as states' chief executives have taken on a leading role in the United States' response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom, who leads the most populous state in America, has called on all governors to issue statewide stay-at-home orders as he has in an effort to increase social distancing and slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Here's what to know about California's governor.

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He started his political career in the San Francisco government

Newsom was appointed to San Francisco's Parking and Traffic Commission in 1996 before steadily working his way up in the city's government, serving on the city's board of supervisors and being elected the president of the Parking and Traffic commission before being elected mayor of San Francisco in 2003 and assuming office in 2004.

At the time, Newsom, who was born on Oct. 10, 1967, was the youngest mayor of the city in 100 years, according to his biography on the city website at the time.

Newsom was later elected to be California's lieutenant governor in 2010 and governor in 2018.

His campaign website touts the governor's willingness to "[stick] his neck out" on issues including "same-sex marriage, gun safety, marijuana, the death penalty, universal health care, access to preschool, technology, criminal justice reform, and the minimum wage."

He's been a pioneer on same-sex marriage

Newsom began allowing same-sex marriages in 2004 while he was the mayor of San Francisco, according to a BBC News story at the time.

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This happened years before favoring gay marriage became the default position in the Democratic Party. Former President Obama didn't even endorse gay marriage in his groundbreaking 2008 presidential campaign.

He played two years of college baseball 

Newsom attended Santa Clara University and played two seasons on its baseball team, according to the New York Times, although it appears he didn't see the field -- he never appeared in the school's stat sheets from his time in college.

"I was your standard 6-foot-3-inch first baseman," Newsom told the Times in a 2010 story when he was the San Francisco mayor and the San Francisco Giants were in the World Series.

He's led an aggressive response to the coronavirus

Newsom announced a statewide "stay-at-home" order on March 19, making him one of the first governors to issue such an order.

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He's said that cooperative efforts with the federal government and the state's independent efforts have allowed California to begin "surging our overall capacity [of the health system] in the state to meet the need going forward."

Newsom has also seen some criticism after responding with a roundabout "yes" to a question from a reporter about whether the coronavirus crisis presented an opportunity to build a "new progressive era."

"Absolutely we see this as an opportunity to reshape the way we do business and how we govern and that shouldn't put shivers up the spines of one party or the other," Newsom said in a virtual press conference. "I think it's an opportunity anew for both parties to come together and meet this moment and systemically to consider where we can go together this historic moment if we meet it at a national level and a state and subnational level."

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.