Former California judge Newsom dies at 84

A former California judge, environmental advocate and the father of governor-elect Gavin Newsom, William Newsom III, died yesterday after a long illness. He was 84.

A Gavin Newsom spokesman Nathan Click said in a statement announcing the death "Justice Newsom was a proud, lifelong Californian, a public servant of profound accomplishment and a powerful voice for individual rights and environmental protection." It comes less than a month before Gavin Newsom will be sworn in as California's 40th governor.