Newsom is planning a $19-million push to polish California’s national image

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to spend $19 million promoting California and dispelling “myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric” in a marketing campaign that will run in the final months of his administration as he weighs his chances for the presidency.

The new contract, which is in the bidding process, comes as Newsom’s political future and national standing are closely tied to how voters view California’s economy, crime and quality of life — issues that have been the focus of attacks by President Trump and the conservative media.

The state’s Office of Business and Economic Development is seeking a contractor to design a statewide taxpayer-funded “California Product Campaign,” with two-thirds of the spending under the proposal to be used for paid advertising and media coverage. Bidding on the contract opened on Feb. 24 and is expected to end on March 13.

The request positions the campaign as an effort to push back against what Newsom often describes as misinformation about California. The campaign will be launched at a time of fiscal uncertainty in the state, with Newsom’s January budget projecting a $3 billion shortfall for the next fiscal year.

“California and its business climate have been smeared with lies and hate for years, and the state has a right to tell the truth — California is a great place to live, work, invest and visit,” said Newsom spokeswoman Tara Gallegos. “Setting the record straight will benefit all businesses, workers and residents of this state.”

Newsom is considering a run for president in 2028 and says he has not decided whether he will pursue the Oval Office.

State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks), vice chairman of the Senate budget committee, said the language of the proposal’s request is concerning. He said it would make it easier to fend off criticism of policies that he says make it difficult to do business in California.

“This is obviously part of Gavin Newsom’s campaign for President, but what really bothers me is that this is a plan that will be developed by private sector contractors to define what speech is acceptable in the state of California,” said Niello. “That scares the crap out of me.”

California’s negative image — homeless enclaves littering the streets, muggings and looting at malls and an exodus of residents and businesses fleeing high taxes and nanny state rule — could be a liability for Newsom if he runs for president.

Newsom has seen his popularity grow over the past year after his fiery approach to Trump’s rhetoric. The two-term governor has used his growing platform, which includes a podcast and a national book tour about his recently released memoir, to repeatedly push back against Trump’s criticism of California. He argues that California remains one of the largest economies in the world and the envy of other states.

The tone of the bid solicitation’s marketing campaign itself is consistent with that message, with its introductory paragraph lifted directly from Newsom’s State of the State address in January.

“California has never been about perfection,” it read. “It’s about persistence. The courage of our convictions and the power to unite. That’s the California way.

Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who runs the nonprofit Latino Working Class Project, said the campaign’s scrutiny will depend on whether the ads are politicized or overly promote Newsom in the way the federal border security ads have shown for fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“You have to ask why now?” Madrid said during Newsom’s California ad campaign. “You’re in the eighth inning of a nine-inning baseball game. Timing and pitch are everything when it comes to eligibility.”

The use of taxpayer dollars to fight defamation of the government and the governor is nothing new under the Newsom administration.

Newsom is tapping a staffer in his communications office to serve as “deputy director of rapid response” in 2024. Staff member Brandon Richards, who made $136,000 last year, is tasked with quickly sending responses to information the governor’s team deems inaccurate or misleading that is being circulated on social media and in the media.

Where the right wing accounts in February he said Newsom was allowing dogs to vote California, Richards answered with CBS News headline reporting that a woman was charged with five charges for registering her dog. Richards and the manager’s office they fall back on false positives that Newsom and his wife, First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were stealing money from the government through his office that same day.

Newsom’s frustration has reached a boiling point over claims about the state’s response to last year’s Los Angeles wildfires. President Trump has publicly blamed Newsom and his “Los Angeles crew” for the disaster, despite Republican claims that a lack of water in Southern California has led to a shortage of firefighters. released widely.

Newsom’s political team launched a website in January 2025 to combat misinformation about the LA fires, which he said at the time would “make sure the public gets factual information.” location, www.californiafirefacts.comit doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

At one point, however, it redirected viewers to the Proposition 50 redistricting campaign website, according to Internet archives. Newsom successfully blocked a redistricting measure to add more Democrats to California’s congressional delegation, a direct response to Trump urging Texas and other Republican states to redraw their congressional boundaries to elect more Republicans to Congress.

Newsom accepted the an even more aggressive communications strategy last summer after Trump sent the National Guard and US Marines to California during an immigration sweep. The governor ordered his team to keep up with the nonsensical communication tactics coming out of the White House. His aides continue to downplay criticism and launch their own scathing attacks on Trump and his allies.

The new ad campaign appears to be an extension of his mission to counter the anti-California narrative.

The request for bids says “some are looking at this situation and trying to destroy our progress. They are attacking our values ​​and changing our culture. They are distorting data to diminish our achievements.”