Gov. Gavin Newsom is hoping to to boost California’s tarnished image on the national stage — so he’s throwing millions in taxpayer money at a high-powered New York public relations firm to do it for him.
The governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development awarded PR powerhouse Edelman a contract worth up to $19 million to burnish the Golden State’s reputation, KCRA reported.
Edelman — which also does work on behalf of mega-companies like Dove, Starbucks, eBay and Heineken — will be tasked with combating “negative narratives amplified online and in partisan media” about California while promoting the state’s economy and tourism.
The contract begins on April 6 and will run through then end of the year.
The Office of Business and Economic Development, known as GO-Biz, posted the request for proposals last month, stipulating that small businesses be considered first for the contract.
A spokesman for GO-Biz told KCRA that Edelman included several small businesses in its proposal.
The state agency previously told the outlet that the campaign wouldn’t be about Newsom himself, but California.
“The campaign will tell the California story, not the Gavin Newsom story,” the agency said. “The effort is about California’s success, not about politics.”
News of the contract drew ample criticism.
“Gavin Newsom is giving 19 million California taxpayer dollars to a New York PR firm to promote California in a better light to the nation. Which does not at all sound like Gavin Newsom is making a presidential campaign ad for himself,” Kevin Dalton, who ran for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, wrote on X.
“Californians aren’t being asked, they’re being billed,” added Republican congressional candidate Christine Bish.
“Another $19 million in taxpayer money, this time for a PR firm to ‘improve California’s image.’ Let’s call it what it is: government-funded spin while families struggle to afford the basics.”
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