Steyer Accuses Becerra of Violations Amid Influencer Backlash

Tom Steyer, the progressive billionaire, is facing criticism for hiring influencers to promote his run for governor of California. In response, he’s now accusing his rival in the Democratic primary, Xavier Becerra, of doing the same thing.

Steyer’s campaign filed a complaint on Tuesday with the state Fair Political Practices Commission. They allege Becerra, the former Health and Human Services Secretary, has committed 50 violations of state law by not informing influencers about political disclosure requirements.

Becerra, who is currently leading in the polls for the upcoming primary on June 2, is at the center of this unfolding drama.

Ryan Hughes, the general counsel for Steyer’s campaign, stated in the complaint that the evidence should be adequate for the Commission to take action and investigate the matter thoroughly.

Moreover, Hughes pointed out that Becerra failed to include these payments in his campaign finance disclosures.

The complaint names two influencers, starting with Jay Gonzalez, a self-described “Mexican-American social media strategist.” Emails included in the complaint reveal that Gonzalez’s agency proposed producing four videos for $16,250.

From March 23 to May 13, Gonzalez allegedly shared at least 34 pieces of content favorable to Becerra. While some posts included paid disclaimers, the complaint argues that many were not properly disclosed or edited and posted long after their initial publication.

On May 6, Becerra’s digital strategist, Alf Lamont, stated that, “There can only be one paid influencer in a campaign” and argued that Steyer is the only one funding influencer engagement.

However, the complaint also mentions another influencer, Maggie Reed, known as “mermaid mama maggie,” who specializes in political comedy. Her agency reportedly offered to create content for $4,500 for one video or $7,000 for two.

Between September 22 and May 15, Reed allegedly posted four videos supporting Becerra, which also lacked the required disclaimers. These videos included various skits and candidate interviews.

Hughes maintains that Becerra’s campaign has not properly listed these expenditures in their disclosure documents.

The California Post reached out to Becerra’s campaign, as well as Gonzalez and Reed, for their responses.

Interestingly, Steyer is not new to such accusations himself. Some influencers previously claimed they were not transparent about being paid by him and reportedly deleted misleading content afterward.

Steyer’s campaign called these allegations “unfounded,” insisting they disclosed all payments and informed influencers of their disclosure obligations, although it seems that may not have been completely accurate.