Newsom Planning $19-million Push To Polish California’s National Image

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to walk $19 cardinal promoting California and dispelling “myths driven by misinformation and governmental rhetoric” successful a trading run that would tally done nan last months of his management arsenic he weighs a imaginable tally for president.

The caller contract, which is successful nan bidding process, comes arsenic Newsom’s governmental early and nationalist opinionated are intimately tied to really voters position California’s economy, crime and value of life — issues that person go cardinal to attacks from President Trump and blimpish media outlets.

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development is seeking a contractor to creation a statewide taxpayer-funded “California Brand Campaign,” pinch two-thirds of spending nether nan connection to beryllium utilized for paid advertizing and media placements. Bidding connected nan statement opened Feb. 24 and is expected to extremity March 13.

The inducement frames nan run arsenic an effort to push backmost connected what Newsom has often described arsenic misleading narratives astir California. The run would motorboat during a play of financial uncertainty for nan state, pinch Newsom’s January fund projecting a $3-billion shortage adjacent fiscal year.

“California and its business ambiance person been falsely and maliciously maligned for years, and nan authorities has a correct to show nan existent communicative — California is simply a awesome spot to do live, work, put and visit,” said Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos. “Setting nan grounds consecutive will use each business, worker and resident of this state.”

Newsom is contemplating a tally for president successful 2028 and says he remains undecided astir whether he will prosecute nan Oval Office.

State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks), who is vice chair of nan Senate fund committee, said nan connection of nan connection petition is concerning. He said it would make it easier to stifle criticisms of policies that he says make it difficult to do business successful California.

“This is intelligibly portion of nan Gavin Newsom for President campaign, but what is astir troubling to maine is that this is simply a programme to beryllium developed by immoderate private-sector contractor to specify what is acceptable reside successful nan authorities of California,” Niello said. “That scares nan stuffing retired of me.”

The antagonistic image of California — bum encampments lining nan streets, smash-and-grab robberies astatine malls and an exodus of residents and businesses fleeing precocious taxes and nanny-state governance — could beryllium a liability for Newsom if he runs for president.

Newsom has seen his fame surge successful nan past twelvemonth aft his fight-fire-with-fire attack to countering Trump’s rhetoric. The two-term politician has utilized his expanding platform, including a podcast and nationwide book circuit for his precocious released memoir, to many times push backmost connected Trump’s criticisms of California. He argues that California remains 1 of nan world’s largest and astir move economies and nan envy of different states.

The reside of nan trading run bid petition itself echoes that message, pinch its introductory paragraph pulled straight from Newsom’s State of nan State reside successful January.

“California has ne'er been astir perfection,” it reads. “It’s astir persistence. The courageousness of our convictions and nan spot to embody them. That’s nan California Way.”

Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who runs nan investigation nonprofit Latino Working Class Project, said scrutiny of nan run will dangle connected whether nan ads veer into authorities aliases overtly beforehand Newsom successful nan measurement national separator information ads showcased nan now ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“You person to inquire why now?” Madrid said of Newsom’s timing for nan California advertisement campaign. “He’s successful nan eighth inning of a nine-inning shot game. Timing and reside are everything erstwhile considering nan appropriateness.”

The usage of payer dollars to combat antagonistic publicity astir nan authorities and nan politician isn’t caller nether nan Newsom administration.

Newsom tapped an worker successful his communications agency to service arsenic his “deputy head of accelerated response” successful 2024. Staff personnel Brandon Richards, who made $136,000 past year, is tasked pinch quickly dispatching responses to accusation nan governor’s squad deems inaccurate aliases misleading that is dispersed connected societal media and successful nan media.

When right-wing accounts claimed successful February that Newsom allows dogs to vote successful California, Richards responded pinch a CBS News article reporting that a female was charged pinch 5 felonies for registering her canine. Richards and nan governor’s agency pushed backmost connected mendacious assertions that Newsom and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were stealing money from nan authorities done her agency that aforesaid day.

Newsom’s vexation reached a boiling constituent complete claims astir nan state’s consequence to nan Los Angeles wildfires past year. President Trump publically blamed Newsom and “his Los Angeles crew” for nan disaster, though nan Republican’s claims that a deficiency of h2o successful Southern California led to a shortage for firefighters were wide debunked.

Newsom’s governmental squad launched a website successful January 2025 to conflict misinformation astir nan L.A. fires, which he said astatine nan clip would “ensure nan nationalist has entree to fact-based data.” The site, www.californiafirefacts.com, nary longer appears to exist.

At 1 point, however, it redirected viewers to nan redistricting run website for Proposition 50, according to net archives. Newsom championed nan successful redistricting ballot measurement to adhd much Democrats to California’s legislature delegation, a nonstop consequence to Trump urging Texas and different Republican states to reconfigure their legislature boundaries to elite much Republicans to Congress.

Newsom adopted an even much fierce societal media strategy past summertime aft Trump deployed nan National Guard and U.S. Marines to California during national migration sweeps. The politician directed his squad to lucifer nan brash connection strategies emanating from nan White House. His aides proceed to sprout down disapproval and motorboat their ain snarky assaults connected Trump and his allies.

The caller advertisement run appears to beryllium an hold of his activity to refute nan anti-California narrative.

The petition for bids says “some look astatine this authorities and effort to tear down our progress. They onslaught our values and caricature our culture. They distort nan information to diminish our accomplishments.”