California Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing back against explosive allegations detailed in a newly released book claiming he secretly helped fund a bronze bust of himself now displayed at San Francisco City Hall to commemorate his time as mayor.
As the Tampa Free Press reported, the claim appears in Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All, authored by Jedd McFatter and Susan Crabtree. The book alleges that Newsom used “behested payments” — a controversial method in which elected officials request donations to nonprofits — to quietly finance the $97,000 monument.
According to the book, donation records show three private organizations contributed to the nonprofit responsible for the statue, including two businesses owned by Newsom himself: Balboa Café Partners and PlumpJack Management Group. Together, they contributed $10,000 toward the bust’s total cost…