California has become a socialist nightmare under Gavin Newsom’s leadership.
That’s a big problem when he launches his Presidential campaign.
And Gavin Newsom used taxpayer money to fund this propaganda campaign for his Presidential bid.
Gavin Newsom Is Spending 19 Million Dollars in Taxpayer Money to Rebrand California
The campaign is called the "California Brand Campaign."
The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development opened bidding on February 24 and set a March 13 deadline.
Up to $14 million goes to paid media. That includes online influencers.
The goal, according to the bid documents, is to "dispel myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric" about the state.
The myths, apparently, include Chevron, Tesla, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and Public Storage leaving for Texas.
Every one of them took jobs and tax revenue to Texas while Newsom was busy explaining why California is great.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office says the state is facing a $20 to $35 billion budget shortfall – and that's before Newsom's PR firm starts billing.
That's not misinformation. That's Newsom's own budget document – signed, submitted, and ignored.
Newsom's Own Democrat Strategist Says This Is a Taxpayer-Funded Presidential Campaign Ad
State Sen. Roger Niello, a Republican from Fair Oaks, identified what this actually is.
"This is clearly part of the Gavin Newsom for President Campaign," Niello told the Los Angeles Times. "But what is most troubling to me is that this is a program to be developed by some private-sector contractor to define what is acceptable speech in the state of California. That scares the stuffing out of me."
Democrat political strategist Steve Maviglio said Newsom is funding his national political ambitions on the taxpayer's dime.
"The contract's being rushed through," Maviglio told FOX 40. "It only lasts till he's out as governor of California, till the end of the year. 75% of it is going to media buys. That just says all you need to know about this. It's not so much about helping California businesses – it's about trying to prop up Newsom's unfavorability as he runs around the country."
His own side said the quiet part out loud.
Even the liberal The Atlantic admitted that Newsom’s record in California is going to be a major problem for him when he runs for President.
So Newsom is doing what he does best.
Wasting taxpayer money in a bid to clean up his record before he launches his Presidential campaign next year.
Newsom Is Running for President in 2028 and California Taxpayers Are Footing the Bill
Los Angeles burned for weeks in early 2025.
Thousands of families lost their homes in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Their neighborhoods still have fenced-off trailheads and temporary road repairs while the state figures out its budget.
Homelessness spending peaked at $6.9 billion in 2022. Under Newsom's proposed budget, the state's only major homelessness investment is $500 million – a 50% cut.
Newsom hired Brandon Richards in 2024 as "deputy director of rapid response" – a taxpayer-funded position built specifically to hunt down and rebut what the governor's office deemed misinformation about California.
Richards was the proof of concept. The $19 million contract is the full rollout. It expires the day Newsom leaves office, not when California's problems are solved.
Two days before this contract hit the news, Newsom was on television calling Kristi Noem "Kosplay Barbie" – mocking her $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign and demanding the money be redirected to Los Angeles fire victims still waiting on FEMA checks.
He had a point. Spending public money on political self-promotion while disaster victims wait is indefensible.
Forty-eight hours later, he was doing exactly that.
Gavin Newsom doesn't have a marketing problem. He has a California problem. And California's problem has a name.
Sources:
- Benjamin Brown, "Gavin Newsom plans to use $19M of your cash to fund ads targeting 'misinformation' about California," New York Post, March 8, 2026.
- "Gavin Newsom to spend $19M on California brand clean-up campaign," FOX 40, March 6, 2026.
- "Newsom aims to swap tarnished California image for $19 million golden story," Washington Examiner, March 6, 2026.
- Michael Dorgan, "Newsom rips Noem as 'Kosplay Barbie' over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires," Fox News, March 7, 2026.
- Dan Walters, "Here's how Newsom's spending binge outstripped revenues, creating California's chronic deficit," CalMatters, February 2026.
