Gavin Newsom Is Reportedly Sending Burner Phones To Tech CEOs (politico.com) 57
According to Politico, Gov. Gavin Newsom has distributed prepaid burner phones to around 100 California business leaders, giving them direct access to him and reinforcing his pro-business stance. "If you ever need anything, I'm a phone call away," read one of the notes. From the report: It was Newsom's idea, a representative said, and has already yielded some "valuable interactions." That arrangement surprised some people POLITICO spoke with, largely because Newsom is already known as an inveterate texter whose digits live in many business titans' contacts. He's also long been seen as more aligned with business interests than the Legislature, the proverbial adult in the room when private pillars like Silicon Valley need a sympathetic ear or a veto. But Newsom wanted to convey that he's intent on maintaining California's competitive edge. Phones are still going out.
The California Protocol Foundation picked up the tab. That organization gets money from businesses and nonprofits for gubernatorial expenses like trips abroad -- or, evidently, burner phones -- so taxpayers aren't on the hook. It also drew leftover funds from Newsom's inauguration account, which itself drew business, so in a roundabout way California's private sector helped fund phones nurturing ties with the private sector.
The California Protocol Foundation picked up the tab. That organization gets money from businesses and nonprofits for gubernatorial expenses like trips abroad -- or, evidently, burner phones -- so taxpayers aren't on the hook. It also drew leftover funds from Newsom's inauguration account, which itself drew business, so in a roundabout way California's private sector helped fund phones nurturing ties with the private sector.
Burner phones?? (Score:4, Insightful)
That does not sound good.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The federal government does, in fact, pay the interest on the national debt, at least for now.
And the federal reserve can't call in debt that's not owed to them, and they only hold 13% of the total. The biggest share is held by foreign investors.
Nice try, troll-boy, but you really need to get closer to actual facts to make it work.
Re: (Score:3)
Welcome to California. It pretends to be ultra-liberal, but it's not. It's a oligarchy, for by and for - and exclusively for - the wealthy elite. Sure, many of them have left leaning views, but they will never let that interfere with fleecing the proles for every penny they can get to funnel to their union backers (you do not get elected to a statewide office in California without the backing of either the teacher's union or the prison guard's union, or both).
They don't even pretend otherwise any more. I'm
Re: (Score:2)
So, apparently the purpose here was for the governor to provide phones that would allow millionaires to call and text him untraceably.
That does not sound good.
Hmm, then Newsome is incompetent. He really needed buy just one burner phone and give it to himself.
Are they all going to suddenly explode? (Score:4, Funny)
"taxpayers aren't on the hook" (Score:3)
... so where does Newson print money in California? Or does he get free cash from Federal gov't/other states, to claim his taxpayers are not on the hook for disposable phones to some of the richest people in this country? Last I recall, no government made a dime: absolutely everything they earn is from the taxpayer.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Fascinating - the sitting Gov of California is providing major donors with private means of contacting him, and the folks on Slashdot are curious about the source of the funds for the phones (which was disclosed in TFS, by the way)? Really?
Oh wait, do you think major tech CEOs in Silicon Valley DON'T donate to the sitting Gov? Really?
Re: (Score:2)
If they're used as intended, anything done on them, from either end, would be subject to the Brown Act, and other open records acts. Illegal to delete, and subject to FOIA requests.
When they say "burner phones," they mean it in the "cop show" sense of a phone that can't be traced, to avoid criminal prosecution for violating those laws. You can bet the the phones Nuisance uses are burner phones in that sense, as well.
Re: (Score:2)
The summary says it used his inauguration fund, which would be donations, and the California Protocol Foundation, which the summary says is not funded with taxes.
I see that, if you did read the summary, you have chosen to disregard it. Presumably you have better sources, which you have withheld from us. Asshole.
Re: (Score:2)
See, kids, this is what happens when you jump into a sentence halfway through.
"Begin at the beginning. Then go through the middle until you get to the end. Then stop"
Re: "taxpayers aren't on the hook" (Score:2)
You do not even have to RTFA, its in the summary - taxpayers are not in the hook because this is paid by the California State Protocol Foundation which is an independently funded 501(c)3 nonprofit which has been around for *decades* and used by both republican and democrat administrations
That is not necessarily a good thing, if the business donations rather than taxpayers are paying for easier access to the executive is that business contributing their share to the cost of representative democracy based on
So I'm smart enough to know (Score:4, Interesting)
This is not to say he's a great guy. He could be a hell of a lot worse and he has done some useful things and I'm also smart enough to understand that you aren't going to get ahead in American politics by being friendly with the left wing because as a left-winger I can speak from experience we are worse than useless. This is mostly a dumb hobby for us so we never really focus on what it takes to win elections. And when you point that out to a left winger They get angry and say they're going to do violence. Which they're not because they suck at it.
All that's to say it's impressive that the right wing is already doing the same thing to newsom that they did to Hillary. I don't even think they bothered with Kamala but she was ignoring voter suppression so she was always going to lose.
Re: (Score:2)
Unfortunately, they keep giving ammunition to the right wing media. Maybe they should try not selling out.
Re: (Score:2)
Unfortunately (for them), they're not capable of admitting, even to themselves, that they are not God's gift to humanity, destined to govern all use lesser beings, and that we know they view themselves that way. They lost their shit in November, and are hallucinating that they didn't.
Not possible (Score:2)
The correct solution is to sit the multi-millionaires down and explain to them that if Musk & company wins they're all getting thrown out of windows and their assets seized and divvied up.
Re: (Score:2)
As a Presidential Candidate, Former Mayor, Current Gov Newsome has a lot of baggage.
The history of the opposition party picking the Presidential Candidate of their opponent has a spotty record, at best (Just ask Hillary), I don't think Republicans want Newsome as the Dem candidate in 2028, i suspect they'd prefer Waltz or Butteigeg(?) or, dare I say it, Harris in 2028...
Re: (Score:2)
In 2028, Harris will be governor of California, and likely kept there by her handlers. Not sure who will be the Dem candidate at this point (this is a strong sign they've given up on Nuisance), but it won't be her.
Harris / Walz are DOA (Score:2)
Americans aren't going to elect a gay man president, any more than they're gonna elect a woman. That baggage can easily peel off 2-3% of voters before the voter suppression kicks in.
And really there's the rub, unless the Dems do something about voter suppression this is all just pissing in the wind.
Re: (Score:2)
I made the pre-emptive decision not to vote for him already before the latest news cycle. Of the latest "selling out" he's done, I'm actually in favor of half of it. What I'm done with is halfway candidates.
I pulled the lever for Hillary. Then for Genocide Joe. Then again for diversity-hire Kamala. Didn't particularly like any of them - I was voting against fascism. In evidence now is the fact that these votes didn't work.
Assuming that elected government can still be salvaged, the Democratic Party as it is
Then you're just MAGA now (Score:2)
How many trans kids will you let die for your principles? Those Palestinian voters let 22m people in Gaza twist in the wind for theirs. Totes worth it though.
If it makes you feel better though the Dems have already written you off. And rightly so. No amount of moving to the left will appease you just like nothing Biden did could appease those Palestinian voters. Because really you never intended to vot
Re: So I'm smart enough to know (Score:2)
don't even think they bothered with Kamala but she was ignoring voter suppression so she was always going to lose
Ah. The extra votes for Biden during Trump's time in office that she didn't get during Biden's time in office are "voter suppression" that she didn't pay attention to.
Gotcha, boss.
Re: (Score:2)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Law_a... [reddit.com]
Re: (Score:2)
> That the reason we're getting all this coverage of Newsom's selling out is because it's being pushed by right wing media so that the left-wing base of the Democrat party has a predisposition against him.
Not everything's a conspiracy. Newsom has been suspect for a while, and frankly, this is typical behavior of a wing of the Democratic establishment: ignore the base, support whoever's pulling the strings of power. Trump's rise has been in part because he had the overwhelming support of Big Tech, so News
Re: (Score:2)
That the reason we're getting all this coverage of Newsom's selling out
You can't sell what's not yours to begin with. Nuisance sold his soul to the part many, many years ago. He's a loyal party soldier and sock puppet, obedient to the party officials with their hand up his ass making his lips move when they talk.
is because
He was going to be the next Democratic presidential candidate, Harris' anointed successor, until she lost (how could not have seen that coming?), after he terms out. Now they need to reposition themselves around Harris (who is even more of a sock puppet than Nuisance),
Newsom is Pro-business? (Score:2)
Re: Newsom is Pro-business? (Score:1)
Newsome is Trump's long lost brother with slicked back hair. Same verbal ticks, same exaggerations, same cock-sure swagger.
Guess we will see (Score:2)
What comes out of all this weird crap he is doing. Losing Silicon Valley to Trump could be a real loss, where a future left wing society should be a designed system to produce abundance, and these folks design systems. Shutting down discourse, including right wing, could also be a loss, so thus the right wing influencers on his podcast. But it is a realpolitik3 strategy, I would put anyone you can get from China way over Michael Savage.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
So you fight corruption with more corruption? This isn't left/right wing, this is government for sale, the quid pro quo, corruption, influence buying in a burner phone. It reeks, no matter who published it.
Sometimes you just got to pick (Score:1)
Even if you agree with the Republican party and vote for them what do you think is going to happen when they don't need your vote anymore because their opposition can't vote?
Newsom might be corrupt, hell I'm sure he is, all politicians are because you cannot get the money to run a national or even moderately sized local campaign without some level of c
Re: (Score:2)
The quid pro quo diminishes every Californian. Equal access, and the very right to redress government changes when a sitting governor gives a class of people smartphones with a direct line.
This is one very visible type of corruption, incarnate.
Yes, every government needs to be sensitive to its business climate.
No, you don't select a class of billionaires and wannabes for direct access to your ear, above all other constituents.
Beyond the optics, we voted out monarchy early in the US history. This is an equiv
Re:Guess we will see (Score:5, Informative)
So you fight corruption with more corruption? This isn't left/right wing, this is government for sale, the quid pro quo, corruption, influence buying in a burner phone. It reeks, no matter who published it.
Thhis reminds me of (former) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's appointment book, where Clinton Initiative donors got special marks next to their names so HRC would know they were donors when they met with Madam Secretary. [cbsnews.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Wake the fuck up. **Everything** is a left/right issue now, from the food you eat, to the car you drive, to where you live and send your kids to school, what your clothes look like, if you have a short or long beard, to the brand of bottled water you drink. You might not *like* the fact this is so, but that doesn't change the facts that everything is political now.
Re: (Score:2)
Observing the facts and calling them out is important. You change things climbing one mountain at a time. It's not right, until it's ALL right. Each issue you face may be a battle, but there is a solution, which is not to cave, to fight for what's equitable.
Newsom's phones aren't equality, but exactly the reverse.
He does realize... (Score:4, Insightful)
He does realize that if he does ever become President, he'll have to stop this program because of Presidential Records issues, right?
Giving tech leaders/CEOs/Donors a private means of talking to the Gov. would be a horrible idea if a Republican Gov did it, but here we are praising a Democrat Gov for giving major donors special access/treatment.
Yay.
Re: (Score:1)
Modded down for telling the truth! Been a while, you guys just get back from vacation?
Re: (Score:2)
All he has to do is keep the paperwork at his private country club. Absolutely no repercussions.
Re: (Score:2)
He does realize that if he does ever become President, he'll have to stop this program because of Presidential Records issues, right?
Giving tech leaders/CEOs/Donors a private means of talking to the Gov. would be a horrible idea if a Republican Gov did it, but here we are praising a Democrat Gov for giving major donors special access/treatment.
Yay.
Communications on these phones, verbal or written, would not be subject to any laws that normally apply to a governor and executives within a company. A court order would be required to obtain access to the phones, which are owned by a third-party who has no knowledge of the phones once they are distributed. Something got deleted/destroyed while a court order was attempting to be served? Oopsies! However did we know that was going to happen given we have no knowledge of the phones after they are distrib
Re: (Score:2)
California has similar laws. They don't apply to Democrats. Just ask the Democrats.
Re: He does realize... (Score:2)
He does realize that if he does ever become President, he'll have to stop this program because of Presidential Records issues, right?
Giving tech leaders/CEOs/Donors a private means of talking to the Gov. would be a horrible idea if a Republican Gov did it, but here we are praising a Democrat Gov for giving major donors special access/treatment.
Yay.
Why, and who said anything about private, phones aren't issued in pairs, so why would that affect compliance? What would you do about non-compliance anyway, the president can do whatever he wants. That's what you voted for.
What would be a horrible idea for a Republican, lunches at mar a Lago? Playing golf with donors? Are you fucking serious?
I don't know why republicans refuse to own what they created. This is the new normal you asked for. Cold feet all of a sudden? Itching for the next president to complai
Re: (Score:2)
He could've had an AIPAC burner phone.
Pager.
Why not... (Score:2)
According to Politico, Gov. Gavin Newsom has distributed prepaid burner phones to around 100 California business leaders, giving them direct access to him and reinforcing his pro-business stance. "If you ever need anything, I'm a phone call away," read one of the notes.
Why not just share your phone number with them? Why do they need "burner" phones whose sole purpose is to be untraceable?
Does he think they don't know how to add his "digits" to their cellphones?
Does he think they want to carry around a flipphone next to their iPhone 16 Pro Plus?
Is he trying to protect the Tech CEOs or himself? People with burner phones usually have something to hide - they are commonly used by drug dealers, gangbangers, mobsters, sex workers and their customers, not Governors looking to h
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Were they props? - Yes
Were they jokes? - No
Really? - Yes
Is this your first publicity stunt?
Re: (Score:2)
This, plus incredibly wasteful.
Why not have one burner phone for himself, and give that number to the tech bros or whoever?
Good grief, no wonder the US is so fucked.
Running for President (Score:3)
Union access (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
No need. The union bosses have had direct access for decades. He would never have been elected without backing by at least the teacher's union (the biggest, richest and more powerful in the state) or the prison guard's union (#2 in all respects). That's how it's been for decades, and will remain for the foreseeable future.