Governor Newsom, First Partner Siebel Newsom unveil 20th class of California Hall of Fame

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Nov 12, 2026

Governor Newsom, First Partner Siebel Newsom unveil 20th class of California Hall of Fame

What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom celebrate their final California Hall of Fame with the 20th class of legendary inductees, including pioneers and powerhouses in athletics, civil rights, culinary arts, and entertainment.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom reveal today their final and historic 20th class they will induct into the California Hall of Fame. Remarkable in both its size and achievements, this class reflects the values of creativity, innovation, and advocacy that the California Hall of Fame has represented for the last two decades.

This December, the honorees will be formally enshrined during a ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento, recognizing the lasting impact of their contributions and the ways they have shaped California and the world.

For 20 years, the California Hall of Fame has celebrated the extraordinary people who make this state what it is. This historic class reflects the very best of California and what's possible when people have the courage to think big and make a difference. Their legacy will inspire the next generation to keep pushing boundaries and showing the world what Californians can do.

Governor Gavin Newsom

20 classes in, the California Hall of Fame continues to showcase that California's greatest strength is its people. This milestone 20th class honors both those who continue to lead and inspire us today and those we have lost, whose legacies live on through the lasting impact they made. Their stories are a powerful reminder that the contributions of extraordinary Californians live on, shaping our state, country, and the generations who will follow.

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom

"For 20 years, the California Museum has been honored to serve as home to the California Hall of Fame, where we celebrate the extraordinary Californians who have shaped our state, our nation, and our world," said Anne Marie Petrie, Chair of the California Museum Board of Trustees. "This historic 20th class carries that legacy forward, reminding us that each of us has the power to leave a lasting mark on history."

California Hall of Fame 20th class inductees:
  • Edward Asner (1929-2021): The first actor in television history to win Emmys for playing the same role, Lou Grant, in both a comedy and a drama. Beyond acting, Asner was a longtime advocate for his fellow performers and served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
  • Andy Beckstoffer: A visionary leader of modern American viticulture, he has transformed California's premium winegrowing regions through business considerations, scientific innovation, and agricultural preservation. By pioneering precision farming technologies and advancing farm worker equity, he helped reshape vineyard stewardship and the industry's economics.
  • Barry Bonds: With over 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, Bonds won a record seven National League MVP Awards, eight Gold Gloves, and 12 Silver Slugger Awards. Beginning his Major League career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he later joined the San Francisco Giants in 1993 and holds the record of 762 career home runs, the single-season record of 73 home runs, and the distinction of being the only player with both 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases.
  • Betty Charbonnet Reid Soskin (1921-2025): The oldest full-time National Park Service ranger, retiring at age of 100, she inspired generations by bringing  history to life through her own experiences of segregation and resilience.
  • Dominique Crenn: Chef and co-owner of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, Crenn became the first woman chef in the United States to earn three Michelin stars. Known for an inventive approach to cuisine and a commitment to sustainability and expanding opportunities for women in the culinary industry, she has received numerous honors, including the James Beard Foundation's "Best Chef: West" award and recognition as one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2024.
  • Guillermo del Toro: He has turned a lifelong fascination with monsters into films that explore fear, compassion, and belonging. His fantasy romance The Shape of Water (2017) brought him Academy Awards for Best Director and, as a producer, Best Picture, and he earned his third Oscar for his stop-motion film Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022).
  • Shepard Fairey: A prolific street artist, graphic designer, and activist, he is known for his 2008 portrait of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, recognized internationally as an emblem of hope. With more than 135 large-scale murals, his works are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and many others.
  • Maxine Hong Kingston: Raised by Chinese immigrant parents, she brought Chinese American experiences to a wide readership through books that blended family history, Chinese folklore, memoir, and fiction. Her honors include the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction for her novel The Woman Warrior (1976), the National Book Award for her story, China Men (1980), as well as the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts through her writing-workshops to help veterans.
  • Diane Ladd (1935-2025): A three-time Academy Award nominee, she built a wide-ranging career, while also making history with her daughter, Laura Dern, as the only mother and daughter nominated for Academy Awards in the same year and for the same film. She served for approximately 30 years on the SAG-AFTRA National Board, and founded the Art and Culture Taskforce to advocate for artists.  
  • Huey Lewis: As the frontman of the Grammy Award-winning Huey Lewis and the News, the San Francisco Bay Area band sold more than 20 million albums and helped shape the sound of 1980s American rock and pop music. Lewis also participated in the historic "We are the World" recording and expanded his career beyond music with appearances in films including Back to the Future and Duets, as well as starring as Billy Flynn in the Broadway musical Chicago.
  • Felicitas Méndez (1916-1998): In 1944, she helped lead a fight for public education in California, joining four other families in Mendez v. Westminster, challenging Mexican American student segregation. She managed the family asparagus farm to finance the case, organized parents, testified, and won in 1946—laying the groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
  • Metallica: A defining force in modern rock, the band brought heavy music from the underground to sell 125 million albums worldwide and generate over 17 billion streams. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, and in 2013 after a performance in Antarctica they were the first band to play on all seven continents.
  • Joni Mitchell: She crossed the boundaries of folk, rock, pop, and jazz music with a distinctive voice, innovative guitar playing, and poetic lyricism that helped reshape popular music. Over nearly six decades, her contributions to music and culture earned her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, as well as the Polar Music Prize, Kennedy Center Honors, and Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.
  • Nancy Pelosi: She made history as the first woman elected Speaker of the House in 2007, and regained the office in 2019, becoming the first former Speaker to do so in sixty years. Elected to Congress in 1987, she led House Democrats for 20 years, bringing back billions to upgrade the Golden Gate Bridge, pass the Affordable Care Act, provide pandemic relief and invest in infrastructure and clean energy.
  • Bonnie Raitt: She has spent more than five decades blending blues, R&B, rock and pop together through her singing, songwriting and distinctive slide guitar playing. After twenty years as a cult favorite, Raitt has won 13 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and joined the Kennedy Center Honors Class of 2024.
  • Rob and Michele Reiner (1947-2025 / 1955-2025): Together they built careers in entertainment while collaborating on public education and civil rights initiatives in California. Both were founding board members of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, while Michele co-founded Parents' Action for Children, and Rob chaired the campaign for California's Proposition 10, which supports health and education programs for children under five.
  • Susie Tompkins Buell: Co-founder of two iconic Bay Area brands, Esprit and The North Face, she challenged the notion that business success and social responsibility were separate pursuits, pairing extraordinary growth with progressive workplace practices and socially conscious marketing. She brings that same conviction to philanthropy, championing climate action and breaking down barriers to women's leadership.
  • Robin Williams (1951-2014): A legendary Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy winning performer, known for his roles in Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Aladdin, he was among the great actors of his time. He worked for decades with Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg on Comic Relief USA, supported organizations including the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Challenged Athletes Foundation, and performed for U.S. service members on tours around the world.

About the California Hall of Fame

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Launched in 2006, the California Hall of Fame recognizes trailblazing honorees who embody California's spirit of innovation, and have changed the state, the nation and the world. Inductees are selected annually by the Governor and First Partner for achievements across arts, business, entertainment, food and wine, literature, music, public service, science and sports.

Visit, California Hall of Fame to learn more or to download media assets.

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