California's own transparency portal hides the detail that matters most: whether the donors writing checks at politicians' request also want something from the state.
The Center Square found that gap. Then we set out to fill it ourselves.
Our investigation revealed Gov. Gavin Newsom has solicited more than $347 million in "behested payments" since 2010 – unlimited sums donors give to third parties at his request, outside every campaign contribution cap. That includes $4.28 million for a nonprofit founded by his wife.
These donors are rarely passive philanthropists. They are companies and groups that employ lobbyists, hold or seek state contracts, face state investigations, or fight the state in court, all while the governor decides matters that affect their bottom line.
The state collects information about these potential conflicts of interest. It just doesn't publish it. Those forms sit in a filing office in Sacramento.
So our investigative unit did what California’s public database wouldn't. We matched donors against lobbying filings and state contracts, donor by donor. One insurer gave more than $21 million at officials' request, including $20 million in 2020. The next year, it received a no-bid state contract worth up to $15 million.
That reporting exposed a gap the state won't explain. The California Fair Political Practices Commission has acknowledged this is information "the public would want to see," yet its staff would not answer why it goes unpublished. The Center Square has formally requested the withheld disclosure forms, and we are not letting go of the thread.
Campaign finance expert Richard Briffault put the stakes plainly:
“Just getting the dots can be difficult for most people, but linking them up, I think, is the hard part. That's kind of up to you all. The media are going to be the ones that are hopefully tracking this.”
That is the role you fund. When the state's own watchdog won't connect the dots, your support is what puts a reporter on it.
The records requests for the next investigation are already filed. Will you help us see it through?
Thank you for making The Center Square’s work possible.