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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office said the governor has mailed his mobile phone to the CEO of California’s top 100-based companies, and since November his phone number has been programmed into contacts to “connect more directly” with the state’s business leaders.
“This is an alternative way to interact with the California business engine and hear their ideas,” says Bob Saladay, communications advisor at Newsom. “We are constantly evolving as a nation. We are in a state of innovation and he wants to hear from business leaders if he has any obstacles.
The mobile phone, first reported by the KCRA on Monday, was paid by the California Protocol Foundation. This was funded by donations often paid for events and governor trips and did not include taxpayer funds.
The governor’s personal conversations are usually protected from requests for public records under California law, and communications via mobile phones do not provide the additional ability to skirt disclosure rules.
Many people in Newsom’s political and business trajectory have his mobile number. It is not uncommon for the governor to receive and respond to texts from a wide range of host senders.
While many top executives of companies probably didn’t need to send a phone call to get to him, his aides described his outreach as a gesture that grabbed the attention of business leaders and showed him interest in his experience in California.
The governor’s decision to begin sending mobile phones appears to have started around the same time that he launched a “job-first tour” within the state to showcase the work of leaders from labor, business, local government, education, environmental justice groups and community organizations.
Newsom also relies on the private sector to raise and support funds for Los Angeles’ Wild Fire Recovery through an initiative led by Magic Johnson, Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter and 2028 Olympic Organizer Casey Wasserman.
“Some CEOs are surprised,” Saladie said. “We’re other people we haven’t heard yet, and we’ve heard from people who communicated with the governor. It’s about gathering information about businesses in California and how they do it.”
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