Taxpayers on the Hook for Gavin Newsom’s Security on the Campaign Trail

California Democrats sneaked an amendment (SB 194) into the state budget which would allow Gavin Newsom and his wife to dip into taxpayer dollars to pay for security protection after he leaves office. This conveniently comes as he prepares to begin his campaign for President. This use of state money to aid his campaign is obviously controversial. So, the Dems slipped the amendment into the 300 page bill in the dead of the night – 3 a.m. to be precise.

This is unprecedented. When former Governors Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown campaigned for President, their campaigns had to pick up the tab for their security details. Providing the Newsom campaign this gift of public funds will save his campaign a considerable amount, giving him a leg up on his competitors who will have to use their campaign funds for protection.

Of course, the Newsoms and Democrats protest that this provision applies to others than the Governor, and claim is it not certain that he will accept the funds. It’s a wonder they can keep straight faces when they shovel that BS. It doesn’t pass the giggle test. Yes, the $20 million they appropriated is theoretically available to all constitutional officers and their spouses when they leave office. However, it’s a safe bet that we won’t see Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis nor Controller Malia Cohen crisscrossing the country, campaigning for President.

So, this is clearly a gift of public funds to Newsom’s ambitions. And it is doubly offensive as Newsom can easily afford to pay for his own security. Other candidates do it. The Newsom campaign PAC had over $14 million as of the last report. And if it comes down to it, millionaire Newsom and his wife can dip into their own personal fortune of $30 million if things get really tight. (Gavin Newsom Reveals Tax Returns—Here’s His Net Worth Compared to Other Governors – Newsweek)

It particularly noxious that the dollars for this perk for the Guv’s campaign will come out of California’s Traffic Management budget, which is funded by registration fees paid by drivers. So, motorists who hope that the state will repair the huge potholes on California’s deteriorating highways will instead be subsidizing Newsom’s presidential ambitions. This is just the latest example of Newsom treating the state coffers as his own piggy bank.

Pat Nolan is a long-time conservative leader, who served as Republican Leader of the California Assembly, followed by 19 years alongside Chuck Colson as President of Justice Fellowship, and then founder of the Nolan Center for Justice at CPAC.