A spokesman for San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom on Monday dismissed speculation that the mayor may quit before his term ends in January 2012, but he and the mayor indicated in separate interviews that Newsom could return to private life after that point.

The San Francisco Chronicle asked Newsom spokesman Joe Arellano about the speculation that Newsom may leave office early, to which Arellano replied, “Definitely not.” The speculation follows a tumultuous month during which Newsom ended his gubernatorial bid, watched two top officials leave his administration, and abruptly left town for a family vacation in Hawaii, leaving his staff in the dark over his whereabouts.

Arellano also told the Chronicle, "He wants to remain in public life in some fashion — he is committed to making a difference. It may include electoral office. It could include another way of advocating for the issues he believes in. He's taking a look at everything."

Newsom was the subject of a story in The Wall Street Journalon Saturday headlined "California's Newsom Might Quit Politics." The mayor saw the story appear online Friday night, according to the Chronicle,and called reporter Stu Woo to clarify his plans. Its headline was changed online to "California's Newsom Faces Headwinds,” but the print edition of the Journal hit streets with the earlier headline.