California governor fined for failure to report donations

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(The Center Square) - The California Fair Political Practices Commission on Thursday morning fined Gov. Gavin Newsom $31,500 for his failure to timely file 36 behested payment reports worth more than $5.5 million.

The California Fire Foundation received 34 of the payments in the wake of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires that began on Jan. 7, 2025, according to the commission's complaint against Newsom.

The Center Square also reached out to Newsom’s office and the foundation, but did not hear back by publication time. According to media reports, Newsom has agreed to pay the fine.

The commission voted 3-0 to approve the fine as part of its consent calendar.

According to the CFPPC, a behested payment is “when an elected officer solicits a charitable donation or donations from one individual or organization to another.” Reports must be filed within 30 days of any payment that exceeds $5,000.

Companies that are listed as “payors” in the CFPPC’s complaint include: BlackRock, PayPal and Uber Eats.

The commission said Newsom violated the Political Reform Act when he failed to file the reports.

“Payments made at the behest of elected officials, including charitable donations, are a means by which donors may seek to gain favor with elected officials. When behested payments are made, the requirements of the Act ensure timely, transparent reporting of such activity, which increases public awareness regarding potential attempts to influence in this manner,” the FPPC said.

Newsom’s current case is a repeat violation.

According to the FPPC, between 2019 and 2024, various parties made 18 payments totaling more than $14.4 million, at Newsom’s behest, which he failed to report in a timely manner. The FPPC charged the Democratic governor, who is considering a run for the White House in 2028, with seven counts and fined him $10,500. 

According to the FPPC, despite missing the 30-day deadline to file reports in the current case, all reports were filed prior to public discovery and Enforcement Division contact.

“Newsom filed the missing behested payment reports before the Enforcement Division received the referrals, making a good-faith effort to comply with the Act,” the FPPC said.

Newsom’s filings ranged from 64 to 229 days late.

Since Newsom acted during an official state of emergency, he was only charged counts for payments that exceeded a $50,000 threshold. The FPPC charged Newsom with 18 counts, at $1,750 per count for failure to timely file reports.

Earlier this week on an unrelated matter, Newsom said the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.