Paramount is getting an assist from a key California pol as it defends its Warner merger against AG Rob Bonta

Paramount Skydance has a strategy for getting its merger with Warner Bros.Discovery approved by Rob Bonta – and it involves making the California AG a pariah in his party while getting an assist from the mayor of Los Angeles, On The Money has learned.The game plan “is to isolate Bonta in the state and in his own party,” said one person close to the David Ellison-run media giant.

“Every Dem pol in the state wants a settlement and is worried that Ellison will leave.They also think his antitrust case is a joke.”The effort involves lobbying these pols to speak up against Bonta’s lawsuit to break up the $81 billion deal.

Aside from believing the antitrust case is weak – Paramount and WBD are too middling companies incapable of becoming a monopoly – Ellison has threatened to leave the state if Bonta doesn’t agree to a reasonable settlement.If he goes there Ellison would take tens of thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity with him.One of those top Dem state pols, LA Mayor Karen Bass, caused an uproar when she suggested on Wednesday that Ellison now has one foot out the door, and that she is here to save the day by getting both sides to work out their differences.“I will continue to engage with Paramount, Attorney General Bonta, and entertainment leaders to keep jobs in LA,” Bass wrote on X.

“This industry was built here.Its workers are here.

I’m going to fight like hell to keep it here.”A Wednesday report of Ellison’s decision to bolt by TMZ left out key context.First, he has made no secret that without meaningful talks to settle the lawsuit by Oct.

1, Paramount will leave the state.Meanwhile, as On The Money reported last week, Ellison has a few “tricks up his sleeve,” to force Bonta to acquiesce.Ellison, his billionaire backer dad Larry Ellison and their highly resourceful chief legal counsel Makan Delrahim are looking to make use of the fact that in addition to Bass, Gov.

Gavin Newsom and his likely successor Xavier B...