Xavier Becerra employing senior campaign adviser whose firm also works for Metas super PAC
A senior adviser to California’s Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Xavier Becerra is working for his election campaign at the same time that her advisory firm is working for Meta’s super PAC, The Post has learned.Courtni Pugh, a partner at Democratic advisory firm Hilltop Public Solutions, has served as a senior adviser to Becerra since at least April.Pugh teamed up with Becerra after previous stints working for outgoing Gov.
Gavin Newsom and disgraced ex-Rep.Eric Swalwell – who nixed his own gubernatorial run over misconduct allegations.Meanwhile, Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (META) California, Meta’s state super PAC, has paid Hilltop Strategies at least $232,000 since September 2025, according to campaign finance records reviewed by The Post.
The most recent payment was this past September for $15,000.Most of the payments identify Hilltop’s role for the super PAC as “campaign consultants,” while one payment is identified as reimbursement for “information technology costs.” Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California was formed specifically to help elect tech-friendly candidates and dodge strict regulations on artificial intelligence.When approached for comment, Hilltop partner Jeremy Van Ess said Pugh “has no role in Hilltop’s work” for the META California super PAC.“It is staffed and run exclusively from an office on the other side of the country,” Van Ess said in a statement.“She has had nothing to do with this engagement at any stage, and any suggestion otherwise is wrong.”The Becerra campaign and Meta declined to comment.Last month, The California Post identified Pugh as a “name to watch” among figures who could hold sway in a prospective Becerra gubernatorial regime – potentially in a more permanent senior adviser role.In California, Pugh also has been working on efforts to defeat Proposition 39, a voter ID ballot measure, and Prop.
40, a controversial billionaire’s tax measure that ha...