California Gov. Gavin Newsom agreed to pay a $31,500 ethics fine after state regulators found he failed to timely disclose millions of dollars in solicited donations, including contributions tied to wildfire relief efforts.
The Fair Political Practices Commission enforcement division determined that Newsom did not file 36 required behested payment reports on time during 2024 and 2025. The late disclosures involved more than $5.5 million in payments from corporations, foundations and other donors.
What the Commission Found
According to documents prepared for a Fair Political Practices Commission meeting Thursday, 34 of the donations were directed to the California Fire Foundation after Newsom or members of his staff referred prospective donors to the nonprofit following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. The organization provides support to firefighters and wildfire victims across the state.
Major donors cited in the enforcement action included the Chuck Lorre Foundation, which contributed $1 million, along with $500,000 each from BlackRock, Uber Eats, Lockheed Martin and the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation. Additional contributions came from Apple, Amazon, Verizon and American Express.
Several of the governor’s disclosure reports were submitted more than six months after the required deadline. One example involved a $50,000 donation from Schwab Charitable Funds to the Institute for Local Government that was reported 229 days late.
Penalty and Prior Violations
Under the settlement agreement, Newsom will pay $1,750 for each of 18 counts, resulting in the $31,500 total penalty. The maximum fine that could have been imposed was $90,000.
This marks the second ethics enforcement action against Newsom for similar reporting violations. In November 2024, the Fair Political Practices Commission approved a $10,500 fine against him for failing to timely disclose approximately $14.4 million in behested payments.
Ethics officials noted that Newsom ultimately disclosed the donations before the commission independently discovered them and said his office cooperated with the investigation. Regulators cited the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Los Angeles wildfires as a mitigating factor.
Federal Investigations
The ethics matter comes as Newsom and members of his inner circle face separate federal scrutiny. One inquiry involves tax matters related to Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, while another investigation reportedly stems from activities of former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.
Federal authorities have not publicly announced any charges against Newsom in connection with those matters. The governor has claimed President Trump is politicizing the Justice Department, though the initial probes began during the Biden administration.
“In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family, friends, and former employees, not because they found a crime, because they’re simply trying to find one,” Newsom said in a pre-recorded statement Monday.