Gavin Newsom solicited $340M in behested payments from special interests, filings reveal

Gov.Gavin Newsom’s proactive defense in the face of multiple federal investigations — the governor announced the probes while accusing President Trump of lawfare and rampant corruption — is starting to draw pushback on social media, as the California leader’s own record has frequently raised questions of pay to play.State records show Newsom has solicited more than $340 million in donations from wealthy donors and special interests — some of which have received preferential treatment and millions of dollars in state contracts — while also taking pains to prop up the political activities of his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.A review of state disclosure records shows Newsom has reported 1,325 behested payments totaling $347,240,506 since 2011, when he was serving as lieutenant governor.

The payments — legal under California law, but a controversial if not illegal practice in some other states — are reported once they hit $5,000 from a single source in a calendar year, and they must be for a charitable, governmental or legislative purpose.Criticism and memes of Newsom’s habit of soliciting donations have been gaining steam since the governor announced on Monday he and wife are the focus of multiple federal probes.By comparison, Newsom’s gubernatorial predecessor, Jerry Brown, only solicited $35.5 million in behested payments from 2010 to 2018, according to records held by the Fair Political Practices Commission.Newsom’s use of the controversial fundraising tool exploded in 2020, when he reported $226.5 million in behested payments — about 65% of his total since 2011.The busiest stretches came during the heart of the pandemic: $35.8 million in April, $33.9 million in May, $30.5 million in July, $38.4 million in September and $28.1 million in October.Blue Shield gave a $20 million donation in September 2020, and months later Newsom awarded the insurer a $15 million, no-bid contract to help distribute California’s vaccines. Kaiser Foundation ga...