{"id":2322461,"date":"2024-08-10T17:20:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T21:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-taxpayers-foot-six-figure-bill-for-gov-newsoms-celebrity-photographer\/"},"modified":"2024-08-10T17:22:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T21:22:48","slug":"california-taxpayers-foot-six-figure-bill-for-gov-newsoms-celebrity-photographer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-taxpayers-foot-six-figure-bill-for-gov-newsoms-celebrity-photographer\/","title":{"rendered":"California Taxpayers Foot Six-Figure Bill For Gov. Newsom&#8217;s Celebrity Photographer"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-taxpayers-foot-six-figure-bill-for-gov-newsoms-celebrity-photographer%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2322461&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent report, it has been confirmed that \u200bCalifornia \u200cGovernor Gavin Newsom has hired photographer Charles \u2064Ommanney for a position within his office, \u2063with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/now-is-not-the-time-fauci-advises-against-super-bowl-parties\/\" title=\"\u2018Now Is Not The Time\u2019: Fauci Advises Against Super Bowl Parties\">taxpayer-funded salary<\/a> of\u2062 $200,000. The move comes\u2064 as Newsom aims to enhance his national image\u200b amid\u2063 speculations about his political ambitions beyond California.\u200d Ommanney, who has a storied background working\u2062 with prominent figures and in challenging environments, will\u200b focus on visually communicating the \u2064governor&#8217;s work, particularly through social media. This hiring stands out because Newsom did not have a dedicated photographer for over five years, a departure from the practice of many other governors. The decision has raised eyebrows, especially given California&#8217;s projected $73 billion budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycallernewsfoundation.org\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has quietly hired a prolific photographer on the taxpayer dime as he seeks to build his national image, his office confirmed to Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/10\/27\/newsom-signs-bill-mandating-diversity-reporting-in-venture-capital-vetoes-similar-bill-aimed-at-his-office\/#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Governor&rsquo;s Office<\/a> hired photographer Charles Ommanney, who has worked for clients like Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama as well as in war zones, in January to serve as its director of photography; a job that comes with a $200,000 taxpayer-funded salary, Politico&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/08\/09\/gavin-newsom-celebrity-photographer-00173482\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Many political insiders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2024\/07\/09\/gov-newsoms-run-for-the-presidency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suspect<\/a> that Newsom may have national ambitions, pointing to his eagerness to challenge Republicans outside his state on hot-button issues.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Charles plays an instrumental role in communicating the work of state government across visual platforms &mdash; including social media, helping us meet Californians where they are at,&rdquo; Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gardon told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Newsom&rsquo;s photographer makes almost as much as the governor himself, who drew a salary of $234,101 last year, according to Politico.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Unlike nearly all of his predecessors and gubernatorial counterparts, the real story here is that Governor Newsom did not have a dedicated photographer for over five years,&rdquo; Gardon told the DCNF. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re thrilled that changed when Charles joined our team.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The California Governor&rsquo;s Office pointed out that the governors of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daytondailynews.com\/news\/who-is-the-man-behind-the-camera-at-dewines-coronavirus-press-briefings\/OUB4WMRMDVBMPOVMTFPDLLDHEE\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ohio<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/info-details\/governors-office-staff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Massachusetts<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/susanwatts3?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York<\/a> all have photographers as well.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GavinNewsom?\">@GavinNewsom<\/a> is in Mission Hills cleaning up a homeless encampment near the freeway.<\/p>\n<p>He&rsquo;s frustrated L.A. County leaders aren&rsquo;t doing more to remove encampments.<\/p>\n<p>I talk about that &amp; the presidential race coming up on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FOXLA?\">@FOXLA<\/a> at 6p &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheIssueIsShow?\">@TheIssueIsShow<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jMxg4A1lP7\">pic.twitter.com\/jMxg4A1lP7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Elex_Michaelson\/status\/1821667362774659287?\">August 8, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Ommanney is already hard at work polishing Newsom&rsquo;s image, filming Newsom in work clothes and sunglasses on Thursday as he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Elex_Michaelson\/status\/1821667362774659287?s=19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">picked up waste<\/a> leftover from a cleared-out <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/04\/09\/california-no-idea-homeless-programs-costing-audit-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">homeless encampment<\/a> in Los Angeles, Politico reported.<\/p>\n<p>The photographer also captured the governor in July as he examined the damage caused by wildfires in the state and tagged along with him to China last year as a freelancer.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom&rsquo;s generous spending on a photographer comes as his state faces a projected $73 billion deficit for the 2024 fiscal year, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/02\/21\/california-budget-deficit-projected-to-skyrocket-to-record-levels-under-newsom-state-watchdog-warns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to a report released by the state&rsquo;s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst&rsquo;s Office.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts cited declining state revenue and high spending when calculating the large budgetary pitfall.<\/p>\n<p><em>Featured Image:&nbsp;Bureau of Reclamation\/Flickr<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-weighs-in-on-deadly-subway-clash-after-desantis-calls-marine-a-good-samaritan\/\" title=\"Trump Weighs In on Deadly Subway Clash After DeSantis Calls Marine a &#039;Good Samaritan&#039;\">nonpartisan newswire service<\/a>, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has discreetly employed a well-known photographer at taxpayer expense as he aims to enhance his national profile, according to confirmation from his office to the Daily Caller News Foundation. In January, the California Governor\u2019s Office brought on Charles Ommanney, a photographer with experience working for high-profile clients such as Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama, as its director of photography. This position comes with a salary of $200,000 funded by taxpayers, as reported by Politico on Friday. Many political analysts believe that Newsom harbors national ambitions due to his willingness to confront Republicans on contentious issues outside of California. &#8220;Charles plays a crucial role in visually communicating the work of state government across various platforms\u2014including social media\u2014allowing us to connect with Californians effectively,&#8221; said Newsom&#8217;s spokesperson Izzy Gardon in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Ommanney&#8217;s salary is nearly equivalent to that of Governor Newsom himself, who earned $234,101 last year according to Politico. Gardon noted that unlike most previous governors and their counterparts elsewhere, it had been over five years since California had a dedicated photographer before Ommanney joined the team. The Governor\u2019s Office also highlighted that other states like Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York employ photographers for similar roles.<\/p>\n<p>Ommanney has already begun enhancing Newsom&#8217;s public image; he was seen filming the governor in casual attire while cleaning up debris from a homeless encampment in Los Angeles recently. He also documented Newsom assessing wildfire damage in July and accompanied him on a trip to China last year as a freelancer. This expenditure on photography comes at a time when California is facing an anticipated budget deficit of $73 billion for fiscal year 2024 due to declining revenues and high spending levels according to reports from the state&#8217;s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2322462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-2159615349.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,37784,37783,8956],"class_list":["post-2322461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-celebrity-photographer","tag-governor-newsom","tag-taxpayers"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-2159615349.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}