Newsom employee in hot seat tells California reporter to ‘f— off’

Isaac “Izzy” Gardon, the longtime Gavin Newsom staffer who made headlines earlier this week for telling a national reporter to “f— off” after pressing him about the California governor’s dyslexia diagnosis, is earning a whopping six figures, a Fox News Digital review has found.

While Newsom’s dyslexia diagnosis has been public for decades, interest in the issue was heightened during a book tour the California governor launched this month. In one of his first stops on the tour, in Atlanta, Newsom was asked about his dyslexia in an interview with Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens, who asked what he hoped readers would take away from the discussion about his diagnosis in the governor’s new letter.

“I’m like you. I’m not better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy,” Newsom said in response, drawing criticism online that he was serving the Black community.

Amid rebuke from the MAGA world and Republicans, Real Clear Politics (RCP) national reporter Susan Crabtree reached out to Gardon to confirm that he has polio. In response, Gardon told him to “respectfully, f— off.”

The survey’s response led to continued criticism of Newsom and Gardon’s office, including from RCP’s Carl Cannon, who questioned why the people most offended by Trump “always mimic his worst behavior.” Newsom’s press office is known for dealing with direct and often hateful social media posts directed at Democrats, often featuring AI-generated images, as well as similarly hostile social media posts directed at Trump and Republicans.

When reached for comment on this story, Gardon told Fox News Digital that “Susan is not a reporter.”

“He’s a MAGA blogger who writes about conspiracy theories,” Gardon added.

Transparent California, a public salary and pension data site, revealed that Gardon is being paid handsomely to be one of Newsom’s most ardent defenders online. Gardon moved up from an administrative assistant making about $30,000 a year in 2019, to $212,154.02 in 2024 as a senior assistant and in Newsom’s office.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was spotted laughing at an event earlier this month hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Gardon’s “typical salary” in 2024 was $152,091.05. That was added to nearly $57,000 in benefits and another $3,141.16 in “other pay,” according to the website, resulting in a total annual payout of $212,154.02. However, his current salary, which does not appear to be publicly available online, may be higher.

Following news of Gardon’s response to Crabtree’s follow-up, a senior California Post reporter shared an email from Gardon in response to one of his media inquiries.

In Gardon’s response, he referred to the New York Post as the “New York Comic Book.” When Koehn followed up, pointing out that the San Francisco Chronicle was covering the same story, Gardon replied, “I’d put that place in the same bucket,” according to Koehn, who posted screenshots of the pair’s back-and-forth on X.

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A man is seen holding a copy of Gov.’s memorial letter. New Gavin Newsom titled “Fast Guy.” (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

While some of Newsom’s top staff praised Gardon’s style, including his boss and senior communications adviser, Bob Salladay, who told Politico that “Izzy’s intelligence and imagination are part of what makes a governor.” Some Democratic Alliance members have been critical of his communication style, including Garry Tan, a Democratic Alliance donor and CEO of Y Combinator.

“Most of the people who don’t have a professional have worked in politics,” Tan wrote in X. “Izzy Gardon brings shame to Newsom’s campaign.”

Gardon was also controversial earlier this month when he called rapper and MAGA activist Nicki Minaj a “stupid hoe” on X. He defended his social media account by pointing to his 2012 hit, “Stupid Hoe.”

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