Gavin Newsom Misses San Francisco: Former Mayor Waxes Poetic On Local Government

He's only been out of City Hall for a little more than a year, but it sounds like the Gavinator might be starting to miss us.

During an encounter with the San Francisco Chronicle's Heather Knight, San Francisco's former mayor was quick to express the biggest challenge he faces as California's lieutenant governor -- and why his old gig may have been a bit more favorable.

“I miss the pace and the energy of local government and the immediacy in terms of response,” he told the Chronicle. “You have to adjust expectations. I’m not introducing legislation in this role or being able to vote on it so that’s a very different role than the 16 years I spent in local government."

"That adjustment is…[pause]…is…[pause]…I’m working through that," he continued, allegedly with a laugh.

As part of his transition to the role of Governor Lite, the Newsom clan, which includes the lovely Jennifer Siebel-Newsom and the couple's two young children, Hunter and Montana, relocated from their Ashbury Heights home to a very private house across the bridge in Kentfield.

And it's no secret that he's set his sights on loftier offices. After his brief, failed gubernatorial bid against Jerry Brown, Newsom has not shied away from opportunities to criticize the current administration. In a recent interview with KQED, the dapper politico suggested Brown lacks the "vision for greatness" California needs and called him "not the most collaborative executive."

He's been quick to shut down journalists probing for more information about severing ties with his favorite city, as well. During an October appearance at the Commonwealth Club, he dismissed a question from the Huffington Post asking what he missed the least about San Francisco.

"I'm in the city every day," he said at the time. "Can't we focus on more important things -- like job creation?"