Newsom’s Germany jaunt funded by little-known nonprofit

Gavin Newsom’s whirlwind weekend in Germany will price a reasonably penny, paid for by a secretive nonprofit that’s run by his longtime aides and receives cash from particular pursuits, The California Submit has realized.

The invite-only Munich Safety Convention is being held throughout two luxurious motels in Outdated City Munich — the Resort Bayerischer Hof and Rosewood — and Newsom’s itinerary consists of two classes on local weather change and transatlantic relations.

The seemingly 2028 presidential candidate additionally plans to ink a partnership with Ukraine and have a powwow with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz whereas rubbing elbows with overseas leaders and enterprise elites.

The governor’s weekend jaunt to Germany — seemingly costing six-figures for flights and lodgings, in addition to safety — is being funded by the California State Protocol Basis, which receives donations from a coterie of deep-pocketed donors, a few of which have enterprise earlier than the state.

The Protocol Basis was initially established in 2002 because the Golden State Host Committee, and it’s now run by prime Newsom advisors Steve Kawa, Jim DeBoo and Jason Elliot, together with Sacramento Kings exec Matina Kolokotronis. 

Since 2019, when Newsom was sworn in as governor, the Protocol Basis has collected greater than $6.2 million in donations to pay for his journey and occasions, based on state information.

Bills have ranged from minor coverage summits to his inauguration ceremony and journeys to the Vatican and Mexico.

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In the course of the pandemic in 2021, Newsom used protocol funds to ship his State of the State speech in an empty Dodger Stadium. And the nonprofit reportedly picked up the tab for burner telephones Newsom despatched to prime tech CEOs final 12 months, preprogrammed along with his digits with a message to be in contact.

Donors to the Protocol Basis continuously have enterprise with the state or are affected by selections Newsom has made as governor.

In 2024, CVS Pharmacy Inc. gave $25,000 to the nonprofit, whereas Zoox, an autonomous car firm that has been testing robotaxis in San Francisco and different California cities, plunked down $30,000. Zoox additionally gave a $50,000 donation final 12 months.

The biggest checks reduce to the Protocol Basis in Newsom’s tenure as governor got here from the Hewlett Basis, which gave $300,000 in 2023 to fund a state delegation journey to China, and UC Berkeley tossing in $220,000 final March for Newsom to attend a local weather summit on the Vatican.

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson fro the governor, instructed The Submit that no taxpayer cash is getting used for Newsom’s present Eurotrip.

The most recent IRS filings for the Protocol Basis present the nonprofit spent practically a quarter-million {dollars} in 2024 for Newsom to go to the Vatican in addition to the inauguration ceremony for Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Extra donors to the muse embody the Sierra Well being Basis, the Ford Basis and Newsom’s 2023 inaugural fund, based on tax information. 

Over the primary six years of Newsom’s time as governor, most donations to the Protocol Basis have targeted on particular occasions, however final 12 months the nonprofit started accepting massive chunks of cash for “normal working assist,” based on state information.

In complete, these opaque contributions totaled $375,000.

At the beginning of 2025, the Protocol Basis was bleeding purple ink after spending nearly $600,000 greater than it was bringing within the earlier two years, leaving the group with simply $7,790 in internet funds.

The governor’s workplace declined to say which posh resort Newsom is staying at throughout his journey to Germany, citing safety considerations. Officers confirmed he might be again in California in time for the Presidents’ Day vacation.