When Newsom flies to Italy, a little-known nonprofit will foot the bill Here s what to know yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
OAKLAND Gov. Gavin Newsom relied on $80,000 from a donor-connected foundation, along with complimentary use of Dodger Stadium, to deliver a splashy State of the State speech this week that offered a defense against a mounting recall effort.
The Democratic governor departed from convention by delivering his annual address not to elected officials at the state Capitol but in an empty Dodger Stadium under the lights. A Newsom representative said the Dodgers provided the venue an in-kind contribution whose value has not yet been specified and that production costs were covered by the California State Protocol Foundation.
The California State Protocol Foundation previously has paid for various official functions for California governors that go beyond what taxpayers might consider reasonable state expenditures. It has covered foreign travel for both Newsom and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example.