Governor Gavin Newsom has sent major California business owners secret cell phones with his direct number programmed on them.
Approximately 100 leaders of state-headquartered companies received packages containing the phones and personal notes from the Democrat governor in recent months.
‘If you ever need anything, I’m a phone call away,’ said one note received by an unnamed tech CEO obtained by Politico.
Newsom’s office confirmed they sent out the phones, but did not specify who has received them.
‘This was the governor’s idea to connect more directly with business leaders in the state. The feedback has been positive, and it’s led to valuable interactions,’ Izzy Gardon, the governor’s communications director, told KCRA.
Gardon claimed the gift is meant to show Newsom’s support of the California business community, maintaining the state’s global economic dominance, creating jobs and expanding industries.
The California State Protocol Foundation, a non-profit organization that has helped cover costs for the governor’s ceremonial events, paid for the phones.
The Golden State has been hemorrhaging its prized millionaires amid soaring living costs, unrelenting wildfires and a bitter political climate.
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