Latest news with #MakeCaliforniaGreatAgain
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newsom's free-phone giveaway to state business leaders paid for by nonprofit run by ex-staffers
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been sending out cellphones, funded by a closely-tied nonprofit, to CEOs of California companies with his personal number pre-programmed into them in an effort to "connect more directly with business leaders in the state." "The feedback has been positive, and it's led to valuable interactions," Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon told Fox News Digital in a statement. The state's public disclosure rules still apply, meaning both the nonprofit – which was formed in 2002 under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration – and Newsom must still comply with the rules for making public records available upon request regarding correspondence on the phones. Newsom's office began sending out cell phones on a rolling basis in November to some of the state's top 100 companies. The phones are being funded by the California State Protocol Foundation – which functions similarly to presidential inaugural committees – which has three board members, two of whom are former Newsom staffers. Trump Surrogate Corrin Rankin Picked To Lead Blue State's Gop: 'Make California Great Again' The foundation is funded largely by businesses and private donations, according to reports, and has funded several previous governors on business trips at no cost to taxpayers. According to a Sacramento Bee report last May, the nonprofit funded Newsom's international trips, including visits to El Salvador in 2019 and to Israel and China in 2023. Read On The Fox News App However, charity watchdog group Charity Navigator gives the foundation a poor rating, noting issues such as no website, a high liabilities-to-assets ratio, no financial statements and having no known whistleblower nor document retention and destruction policies on record. Newsom's 'Unfair' Remark On Girls' Sports Belies Record As Governor: 'Absolute Bulls---' The foundation's principal officer, Steve Kawa, is a seasoned Democratic strategist who previously worked in the governor's office, serving as chief of staff when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco. Other board members include Jim DeBoo, who is also a Democratic strategist and served as former executive secretary to Newsom and Matina Kolokotronis, the chief operating officer for the Sacramento Kings NBA team. Newsom Asks For Nearly Another $3B For State Health Program Overwhelmed By Illegal Immigrants The move to give companies a direct line to Newsom comes as the blue-state governor has come under fire in recent years for the state's high cost of doing business, with several high-profile companies such as Chevron, Oracle and Tesla moving their headquarters to more business-friendly red states like Texas. Attempts by Fox News Digital to reach the California State Protocol Foundation for comment were article source: Newsom's free-phone giveaway to state business leaders paid for by nonprofit run by ex-staffers
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Newsom asks for nearly another $3B for state health program overwhelmed by illegal immigrants
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is requesting an additional $2.8 billion loan to address a bloated deficit in the state's Medicaid program, which has surpassed budget expectations largely due to coverage for illegal immigrants. The new request comes after the Democratic governor asked lawmakers last week for a $3.4 billion loan from the general fund to cover outstanding costs for Medi-Cal, one of the state's primary healthcare programs that takes both federal and state taxpayer dollars. "With tough fiscal choices ahead, Governor Newsom, jointly with Pro Tem McGuire and Speaker Rivas, will evaluate proposals to rein in long-term spending — including in Medi-Cal — while working to protect the core health and social services Californians rely on," Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon told Fox News Digital in a statement Tuesday. Trump Surrogate Corrin Rankin Picked To Lead Blue State's Gop: 'Make California Great Again' The additional $2.8 billion would keep the healthcare program afloat through June. Newsom's office pushed back on the skyrocketing healthcare costs being solely due to illegal immigrants on the programs. Instead, they attribute the increases to higher overall enrollment for all populations and pharmaceutical costs. The administration also pointed to other states, Pennsylvania and Indiana, which are also facing budget shortfalls in their Medicaid programs. Read On The Fox News App However, Republicans in the legislature, who have been hounding against increased spending in the state for years, blame the state's policies as the culprit for the under-projection. "That's a staggering $6.2 billion over the costs keep climbing with no end in sight," California Senate Republican Minority Leader, Brian Jones, wrote in a post on X on Monday. "Californians should not be forced to shoulder the burden of radical Democrats' reckless financial mismanagement." "Even Jerry Brown refused to expand Medi-Cal to all illegal immigrants because he knew it was fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable," Jones wrote. "Now under Newsom, legal residents are paying the price both financially and in reduced access to healthcare. The public deserves answers: Why are the costs so much higher than what Newsom promised? What is Newsom's plan to fix the financial disaster he created?" Newsom's 'Unfair' Remark On Girls' Sports Belies Record As Governor: 'Absolute Bulls---' Last year, California expanded Medi-Cal to cover all low-income adults ages 26 through 49, regardless of immigration status, making it the first state to do so. Roughly 1.6 million illegal immigrants are enrolled in the state's healthcare program, according to state data, and 15 million California residents are enrolled. "Both lawfully present and not lawfully present individuals can apply through Covered California to see if they are eligible for a health plan through Covered California or Medi-Cal," the state's healthcare marketplace, Covered California, says on its website. "There is no 'waiting period' or 'five-year bar.'" The state initially estimated the program would cost just under $6 billion in FY 2024 to 2025. However, one year into the program, that budget has ballooned. In response, House Republicans recently advanced a proposal to cut $880 billion from a group of programs, mainly Medicaid, over the next 10 years. 'Needs To Resign': Blue State Blasted For Asking For Loan Amid Skyrocketing Immigrant Healthcare Costs Newsom's latest budget proposal projects that California will spend $8.4 billion to cover illegal immigrants in Medi-Cal for 2024-2025, followed by $7.4 billion in 2025-2026. During a budget hearing with legislators, Michelle Bass, director of the Department of Health Care Services – which manages Medi-Cal – the state significantly underestimated the number of illegal immigrant enrollees last year. Bass said during the hearing the department had just one month of data on the new "unprecedented" policies before it had to make projections for the budget signed by Newsom, "and all happened at once."Original article source: Newsom asks for nearly another $3B for state health program overwhelmed by illegal immigrants
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Danish petition supporting plan to buy California ‘reaches 200,000 signatures'
Danish citizens have launched a petition to purchase America's most populous and prosperous state, California, in response to Donald Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland. The president has recently escalated calls to purchase the autonomous Danish territory for 'national security' purposes, despite both Denmark and Greenland's Prime Ministers insisting the Arctic island is not for sale. Pledging to 'Make California Great Again,' Danes have launched a retaliatory campaign seeking the 'Denmarkification' of the world's fifth-largest economy. The tongue-in-cheek petition, which is apparently seeking to crowdfund $1 trillion to buy the Golden State, claims it has garnered just shy of 200,000 signatures by Tuesday morning. It comes after California's Secretary of State Shirley Webster permitted a campaign to begin collecting signatures to vote to secede from the U.S. and become an independent country on the 2028 election ballot. The Independent has contacted organizers of the Demarkification campaign for confirmation of the signatures gathered. California would become 'New Denmark,' according to the campaign's website, while its world-famous theme park Disneyland would be rebranded as 'Hans Christian Andersenland'. Other benefits of the Scandinavian nation purchasing the state include 'tech dominance' and 'avocado on toast forever,' according to the petition. 'Have you ever looked at a map and thought, 'You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates,'' the website reads. 'Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality.' Executives from LEGO and the cast of the political drama Borgen would be pulled in to negotiate the deal, while a lifetime supply of Danish pastries would be on the table to sweeten the deal. A disclaimer at the bottom of the page reads: 'This campaign is 100% real… in our dreams'. Trump and his allies have repeated calls for Greenland to join the U.S. to enhance national security. At the start of the new year, the president once pointed to 'economic security' as a reason for the takeover, with the island's untapped mineral resources in great demand. Greenland's 800,000 square miles 'contains approximately 31,400 million barrels oil equivalent of oil' and around 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to an assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. According to estimates from The Washington Post, because of its natural resources and industries, buying the island could cost as much as $1.7 trillion. Last month, the president stated that the majority of Greenland's 56,000 inhabitants 'want' to become Americans. However, a mere six percent of Greenlanders are hoping their nation will join the U.S., according to a poll commissioned by Danish newspaper of record, Berlingske, and the Greenlandic daily Sermitsiaq. The survey suggests that 85 percent of those residing in the Danish territory don't want to become a part of the U.S. Six percent were in favor of joining and nine percent had been left undecided, according to the poll. It comes as a GOP congressman floated new legislation in an attempt to bolster Donald Trump's efforts to take over Greenland, while also giving the autonomous Danish territory a new name. Georgia Representative Buddy Carter said he wants Greeland to be called 'Red, White, and Blueland' as he unveiled a new bill of the same name. 'America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland,' said in a statement to the New York Post. 'President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority, and we will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation to ever exist when our Negotiator-in-Chief inks this monumental deal.'
