California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has been secretly hiring top photographers with taxpayer money in an effort to improve his national image, the governor's office confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The California governor's office hired photographer Charles Ommanney, who has worked for clients like Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama and on war zones, as director of photography in January, a job that comes with a taxpayer-funded salary of $200,000, Politico reports. Reported On Friday, many political figures Suspect Newsom noted that his willingness to challenge out-of-state Republicans on key issues suggests he may have national ambitions.
“Charles plays a critical role in communicating the work of state government through visual platforms, including social media, helping us be on the side of Californians and connect with them,” Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gurdon told the Daily Caller News Foundation. (Related article: California may take until 2030 to fully recover from population exodus)
According to Politico, Newsom's photographer makes roughly the same as the governor himself, who made $234,101 last year.
“Unlike most of Gov. Newsom's predecessors and governors, the real issue here is that we haven't had a full-time photographer for over five years,” Gurdon told DCNF. “I'm pleased that that has changed with Charles joining our team.”
The California Governor's Office Ohio, Massachusettsand new york There are photographers for everything too.
.Gavin Newsom We are cleaning up a homeless camp near the highway in Mission Hills.
He is frustrated that Los Angeles County leaders aren't doing more to remove the encampments.
I'll talk about that and the presidential election. Fox 6pm translation: pic.twitter.com/jMxg4A1lP7
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) August 8, 2024
Ommanney has already been hard at work polishing Newsom's image, photographing him in overalls and sunglasses on Thursday. Picked up trash Politico reports that the photos were taken after a homeless camp was cleared in Los Angeles. The photographer also photographed the governor surveying wildfire damage in July and accompanied him on a freelance trip to China last year.
Newsom's big spending on photographers comes as the state faces a projected $73 billion deficit in fiscal year 2024, according to a report released by the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analysis Service. Analysts cited declining state revenues and rising expenses in calculating this major budgetary hole.
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