Newsoms Germany jaunt funded by little-known nonprofit run by aides

Gavin Newsom’s whirlwind weekend in Germany will cost a pretty penny, paid for by a secretive nonprofit that’s run by his longtime aides and receives money from special interests, The California Post has learned.The invite-only Munich Security Conference is being held across two luxury hotels in Old Town Munich — the Hotel Bayerischer Hof and Rosewood — and Newsom’s itinerary includes two sessions on climate change and transatlantic relations.The likely 2028 presidential candidate also plans to ink a partnership with Ukraine and have a powwow with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz while rubbing elbows with foreign leaders and business elites.The governor’s weekend jaunt to Germany — likely costing six-figures for flights and lodgings, as well as security — is being funded by the California State Protocol Foundation, which receives donations from a coterie of deep-pocketed donors, some of which have business before the state.The Protocol Foundation was originally established in 2002 as the Golden State Host Committee, and it is now run by top Newsom advisors Steve Kawa, Jim DeBoo and Jason Elliot, along with Sacramento Kings exec Matina Kolokotronis. Since 2019, when Newsom was sworn in as governor, the Protocol Foundation has collected more than $6.2 million in donations to pay for his travel and events, according to state records.

Expenses have ranged from minor policy summits to his inauguration ceremony and trips to the Vatican and Mexico.During the pandemic in 2021, Newsom used protocol funds to deliver his State of the State speech in an empty Dodger Stadium.

And the nonprofit reportedly picked up the tab for burner phones Newsom sent to top tech CEOs last year, preprogrammed with his digits with a message to keep in touch.Donors to the Protocol Foundation frequently have business with the state or are affected by decisions Newsom has made as governor.In 2024, CVS Pharmacy Inc.

gave $25,000 to the nonprofit, while Zoox, an autonomous vehicle ...