Supervisor Hewitt Ponders Run For CA Governor

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt — whose Fifth District includes the Pass Area — is considering a run for governor, state campaign finance records show.

Hewitt, a Libertarian, has formed an exploratory committee for the 2022 election. Gov. Gavin Newsom is up for re-election next year, but he's facing a recall effort. If the governor gets the boot this year, Hewitt told The Press-Enterprise he would consider an earlier run.

Hewitt won his current board seat in the November 6, 2018, general election. During that bid, he was a Calimesa City Council member. He was also a 2016 Libertarian candidate for District 42 of the California State Assembly, and a 2014 candidate for District 23 of the California State Senate.

Most recently as a board member, Hewitt has staunchly advocated against state health restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to his bio, Hewitt was born in 1953 in Redlands and has spent most of his life in the Inland Empire, attending both high school and college in the region. He launched a pool construction company in the mid-1980s. He has six children and seven grandchildren. He has been married for 30 years to his wife, Wendy.

Late last year, a woman who worked for the county filed a claim against Riverside County, accusing Hewitt of sexually harassing her. That claim has since been settled and no details were publicly released by the supervisor.