In a Vanity Fair essay published on July 28, Rippey claimed she and her then-husband, Alex Tourk, worked together at San Francisco City Hall for Newsom's predecessor when they were recruited to join the city supervisor's team. Newsom went on to win the 2003 mayoral race, with Tourk becoming his deputy chief-of-staff and Rippey serving as a commission secretary. As Rippey and Newsom began a closer working relationship, the trio went out to a Mexican dinner one night in 2004 where the mayor told her, "Hey—you look really good," after she caught him staring at her, noticing that she'd lost most of her "pregnancy weight." After that, Rippey said she paid closer attention to what she wore to work, opting for more fitted and eye-catching outfits.