Gov. Gavin Newsom Burned With Big Ethics Fine Over LA Wildfire Charity Cash
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has agreed to pay a $31,500 ethics fine after state regulators found he repeatedly failed to disclose millions of dollars in solicited donations tied largely to Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts.
The Fair Political Practices Commission’s enforcement division determined that Newsom failed to timely file 36 behested payment reports during 2024 and 2025, covering more than $5.5 million in donations from corporations, foundations and other contributors.
The late disclosures involved contributions from several major companies and organizations, including $1 million from the Chuck Lorre Foundation; $500,000 each from BlackRock, Uber Eats, Lockheed Martin and the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation; $250,000 from Apple; $200,000 from Amazon; and $150,000 each from Verizon and American Express.
According to documents filed ahead of Thursday’s FPPC meeting, 34 of the payments were directed to the California Fire Foundation after Newsom and his staff encouraged individuals seeking to assist victims of the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires to donate to the nonprofit organization.
The latest penalty marks the second time Newsom has been fined over delayed disclosure of behested payments.
Regulators noted that Newsom eventually reported the donations before the FPPC independently discovered them and that his office cooperated with investigators. They also acknowledged the emergency circumstances surrounding the wildfire relief efforts.
However, the commission concluded that the repeated failures warranted a significant penalty because the matter constituted a repeat violation.
In November 2024, Newsom was hit with a separate $10,500 fine for failing to timely report $14.4 million in behested payments. California law requires elected officials to disclose payments of $5,000 or more that they solicit for charities, government programs or other causes.
Some of the latest reports were filed more than six months late. One $50,000 donation from Schwab Charitable Funds to the Institute for Local Government was disclosed 229 days after the deadline, according to the FPPC filing.
The commission ultimately proposed a penalty of $1,750 for each of the 18 counts it pursued, resulting in the $31,500 fine. The maximum possible penalty could have reached $90,000.
The ethics case comes at an uncomfortable moment for Newsom, who announced this week that he, his wife and members of his inner circle are subjects of federal investigations.
According to reports, one investigation involves the taxes of Jennifer Siebel Newsom, while another is connected to former chief of staff Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return and making false statements.
Newsom blasted President Trump and described the investigations as politically motivated.
“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 prerecorded statement Monday.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom also criticized the administration, saying President Trump has “no boundaries.”
The federal investigations are being handled by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
“Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide,” Newsom said.