Newsom Under Fire: $19M PR Campaign, Homeless Crisis, and Gas Prices Hit $6
A fiery panel debate breaks down California’s controversial $19 million PR campaign aimed at improving the state’s image. Critics argue that Gavin Newsom should focus on rising poverty, high gas prices, and viral footage from downtown Los Angeles instead of spending taxpayer money on branding.
The discussion heats up as former adviser to Kamala Harris, Mike Nellis, clashes with Republican strategist Gene Valentino over whether California is being unfairly targeted. The debate expands to include comparisons with other states, policy failures, and the political implications for a potential 2028 presidential run.
The conversation also touches on gas prices, homelessness, state spending, and even comments about Newsom’s wife — before both sides find rare common ground at the end. Is this smart leadership… or political spin?
Listen to the Interview!
Click the ▶️ button in the Player Below ? to start listening the Podcast now.
➡️ Join the Conversation: https://GeneValentino.com
➡️ WMXI Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/NewsRadio981
➡️ More WMXI Interviews: https://genevalentino.com/wmxi-interviews/
➡️ More GrassRoots TruthCast Episodes: https://genevalentino.com/grassroots-truthcast-with-gene-valentino/
➡️ More About Gene Valentino: https://genevalentino.com/about-gene-valentino/
Full Episode Transcript
Hey public opinion afficionados. It’s Mark Mitchell, head pollster of Rasmus Reports and really happy to join Gene Valentino at the Grassroots Truth Cast
today. Uh I support his podcast. Go check it out and subscribe while you’re there.
Throughout history, the spirit of patriotism has prevailed. The battles may have changed, but the values remain
the same. Today in 2024, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment where the
call for unity, freedom, and a better future echoes louder than ever. For more
than 10 years, Patriot Mobile has been committed to supporting the values that make our nation great. With affordable plans and reliable nationwide coverage,
Patriot Mobile is not just a wireless service. It’s a call to action for those who believe in the American dream.
Because this year is not just any year.
It’s the most important year since our nation’s founding. Choose a wireless carrier that shares your values. Choose Patriot Mobile.
And a multi-million dollar makeover is underway in the Golden State. California Governor Gavin Newsome is desperately trying to improve his state’s image.
He’s using taxpayer money to do it to the tune of $19 million for a rebranding blitz to gloss over some inconvenient
facts like California having the highest poverty rate in the nation and average gas prices topping $6 a gallon. And
while the Newsome administration buys glossy ads and national airtime to pivot him toward a 2028 presidential run, the reality on the ground tells a different
story. This video going viral today from downtown Los Angeles. This is downtown Los Angeles,
California.
Yes, where Hollywood is at. This is not a movie, though.
It’s not a joke and it’s not a publicity stunt. This is the reality that people are living in in Los Angeles,
California. This woman is using this key to be able to open up the fire hydrant to be able to wash her blankets.
Wow. That is one crazy image right there. The reality is it’s going to take more than some good PR to fix what
California Democrats have broken. It seems uh here to discuss, let’s bring in our left right panel to break it all down. former senior adviser for the Kla
Harris campaign, Mike Nellis, along with Republican strategist and host of Grassroots Truthcast podcast, Gene Valentino. Thank you both for being with
us this afternoon. Mike, what do you make of the timing of this new PR push for the state of California?
Yeah, well, I think it’s pretty common for states to do this. I see ads from basically every state. I don’t know that it actually has anything to do with Newsome’s presidential aspirations. I do
think though it pales in comparison to the amount of money that Kirsty Gnome spent which was $320 million on the ad campaign a lot of which she and her
allies pocketed. So I think the question here is is it a legitimate use of funds?
Can you prove anything that’s malf and fornome is anybody in the Trump administration actually going to take seriously the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars is gone from the
taxpayers for an ad campaign that didn’t seem to accomplish anything?
Gan, I think the question here seems to be, is a PR campaign going to fix what a lot of people point to in California is
a policy problem? Do you think people are going to buy this PR campaign, Jean? Well, I think they have not already.
There’s a a sentiment on the street now that says the timing couldn’t be worse.
Uh the budget issues are paramount. Uh the perception going into the presidential run uh seems just too
coincidental. But you know uh he also has to fix some fire hydrants and get some water back into them. He needs to
take care of thousands of homes that still are not rebuilt. And so these kinds of issues, whether legitimate or
not, sit against a backdrop of bad behavior. Not to mention the recent issues of um of the hospice abuse of the
hospice system uh uh to defraud taxpayers. There’s a pattern over time in California that needs to be fixed. I think uh I don’t know which is worse,
Gavin Newsome or the people that voted for him. I don’t understand what they don’t see. Do you mind if I add something?
Let’s talk about gas prices.
Uh yeah, just a minute on your on your side. I want to get this in there though before for time. California gas prices are the highest in the nation. A CBS
News California investigation finding no surprise. State policies are partly to blame. Mike, uh, you can go ahead and
add what you were going to add, but I do want to ask, doesn’t Nome bear some, you know, level of responsibility here on this? Well, I think every lawmaker has a
responsibility to make sure that things are affordable for all Americans,
including Gavin Newsome, including Donald Trump right now, who’s making everything more expensive with the tariffs and then obviously this disastrous, in my opinion, war with
Iran. The point I want to make though is California becomes a very convenient punching bag for the right-wing media apparatus. They love to go after California. They love to go after New
York. And don’t get me wrong, they’ve got real problems in both those states,
but there are real problems in Republican states, too. And what drives me crazy is we don’t talk about them.
We’re not talking about Mississippi having the highest poverty rate in the country. We’re not talking about Arkansas being the teen pregnancy capital of the world. We’re not talking about Louisiana being the murder capital of the United States. So, I think to me,
it’s if you want to solve those problems, let’s go solve them. I’m all for it. Let’s come up with any good idea, but let’s stop singling out one state and treating it like a punching bag to get cheap political points in a
presidential election that’s three years away. Oh boy, those are fighting words, man.
Uh California wasn’t California Ike wasn’t singled out. California was a consequence of Nick Shirley who brought
to our attention significant wrongdoings,
which was also a consequence of what was going on in Minnesota. And as for other states like uh Florida, uh yeah, we we’d
love to have you take some of your people back. They’re they’re they’re invading us down here in Florida uh with all the people from the sanctuary city,
blue states and blue cities.
I mean, come on. Like look, you don’t want to address the real problems that happen in Republican states. It’s easier for you to just treat California like it’s a punching bag.
I don’t have an income tax and I have a balanced budget. How are you doing?
I’m doing just fine, but I live in the state of Illinois in the city of Chicago, greatest city in the United States. Oh, that makes it just as good then.
Well, you’re welcome to come by. I’ll take you out for lunch anytime, Gene.
All right. All right. Hold hold on a second. You guys can have lunch. Um, let me let me set, you know, reset things.
By the way, Arkansas is is not the team capital of the world. another thing that uh you you were incorrect on. But the other side of this though is
Democrats never want to answer truly about the fraud and that’s really the problem. And Mike, I admire your debating ability, but you won’t answer
the question. And so th this continually continually is a pattern when we have these debates is people just never will
answer the questions on fraud. So, we’re going to move on right now to some uh Do you have a question for me question?
Well, I I just asked you several. I’m not going to ask you another one because we need to move on to this 2019 clip that’s resurfaced. Uh this is where uh
she is talking about um I believe yeah, she’s talking about giving her boys dolls to play with. Um take a look.
I’ve given them dolls to learn that care and caregiving is not just an activity that’s reserved for women, but that it’s
also an activity that is um a responsibility of men.
Okay. Um I don’t even remember whose turn it is. Jean, I’ll I’ll give you uh this one here. Uh she also talked about changing male characters in books. I’m
not going to play that one for you, but you can imagine how ridiculous it is. uh what in the world uh is going on when it
comes to who uh Gavin Newsome is married to and and why why do they hate the patriarchy so much?
Well, uh I I really feel bad that we’re in this this kind of a conversation with
the first lady of of California. I’m sure she has so much more to offer. And so for that kind of guidance of
leadership from a first lady, I’m going to look to the dong, the one who’s been taken advantage of and misled uh and and mistreated, I should say, Melania Trump,
who speaks five languages and talks about innovation and science and cultural improvements in the in the
various expansion of the government’s role in a good area. you know, I’m I’m I’m not sure how to address dolls for
boys, but I I don’t think it’s material in the sense of their upbringing. I
mean, I had action figures and um and and and figures like that when I was growing up as a young kid. You might get
a kick out of it. I got in trouble with my mother when I put on my Superman outfit and started swinging off the chandelier in the dining room. But I’m
not going to I I’m not I’m not going to um worry about what um uh appeases them
under the guidance of the mother. I feel that’s not my place. But boy, I do hope there’s some I I hope there’s some
cultural reform in a broader sense with how we treat this kind of an issue in the public school system.
Okay. Mike, what do you think? Is Nome’s wife a liability? And is it okay for boys to play with dolls?
Yeah, I don’t really I mean, look, I got a six-year-old boy at home. I don’t care if he plays with a doll. I think it’s more important that he’s got two parents that treat him with respect to try to show him how to be a good human being.
That matters a lot more. The thing with the books, though, I will say, is like changing the gender of the book and swapping that out is really silly to me.
Why don’t you just find a book with a strong female protagonist? That’s what we do at our house. And just try to make sure you balance that out to give people the answer. But I don’t think you have
to like force it. I think you demonstrate it by how you raise them every single day. Yeah, I agree there.
All right. Hey, this is the goal of all of this. We find common ground here at the end. Mike Nellis, Gene Valentino, thanks for being with us this afternoon.
Thanks, Ike.
Throughout history, the spirit of patriotism has prevailed. The battles may have changed, but the values remain
the same. Today in 2024, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment where the
call for unity, freedom, and a better future echoes louder than ever. For more
than 10 years, Patriot Mobile has been committed to supporting the values that make our nation great. With affordable plans and reliable nationwide coverage,
Patriot Mobile is not just a wireless service. It’s a call to action for those who believe in the American dream.
Because this year is not just any year.
It’s the most important year since our nation’s founding. Choose a wireless carrier that shares your values. Choose Patriot Mobile.








