Recall Update: Gavin Newsom Pay for Play Scheme: His “First Partner’s” Charitable Fundraising Exposed, And Then There is Faulconer too…

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Remember Gray Davis? We used to joke about the toll booth at the door of his office. Looks the same for Gavin Newsom and Kevin Faulconer

From 2011 through 2018, the nonprofit has paid Siebel Newsom more than $290,000 per year — $2.3 million in all — for her leadership work and for creating three documentary films on social justice themes, according to the nonprofit’s tax returns.

That’s more than 20% of the $10.4 million it received from contributors. The Newsoms’ tax returns and financial disclosure forms show she has continued to draw a salary since her husband became governor.

Many donations came from California philanthropists, venture capitalists and people who inherited great wealth.

But in recent years, as Newsom’s political star ascended, records show his wife’s nonprofit received more than $800,000 from a dozen corporations that regularly lobby state government on matters affecting their financial bottom lines. In 2015, the year Newsom announced he would run for governor, The Representation Project’s contributions increased by 30% to almost $1.6 million.

Did you know that Kevin Faulconer’s wife has an event planning business? How much you want to bet a bunch of his major donors have used her services?

Pacific Gas & Electric, then facing multiple state investigations for its role in sparking a series of devastating wildfires, was acknowledged as a “champion donor,” indicating a $25,000 donation, according to the program.

AT&T and Comcast, heavily-regulated telecoms that hoped to retain their market dominance in California, each gave $10,000.

Another donor was the Kaiser Permanente health care system, an opponent of a proposal to create a “single-payer” health plan for the state, which the new governor campaigned on. Kaiser’s president at the time, the late Bernard Tyson, was on the event’s host committee.

So was John Fisher, heir to the Gap clothing fortune and owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, which wanted state permits for a new stadium.

The flow of corporate donations to Newsom’s wife’s nonprofit that night are part of a pattern, a Sacramento Bee investigation found.

Fascinating.

Apparently if you wanted to throw a big bash in Downtown San Diego, Katherine Faulconer was the person to call.

Stuart, who navigated the wingding through the city’s often daunting bureaucracy, runs the couple’s lucrative Restaurant Events business.