Los Angeles Times
· collected 2026-09-10 · by Seema Mehta, Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee
Becerra backers with business in Sacramento spend tens of millions boosting his gubernatorial bid
asserted
backers → spend → bid
- Powerful corporations and interest groups with business in Sacramento are among the donors that have poured nearly $50 million boosting Democrat Xavier Becerra’s bid for California governor, far outpacing Republican rival Steve Hilton.
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that → pour → Hilton
- Meta, which recently reached a landmark $17.1-billion child-safety settlement, joined Realtors, labor unions, tribes and healthcare groups in writing large checks to support Becerra.
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which → reach → Becerra
- Backers tout Becerra’s union roots and healthcare expertise as he emerges from a tumultuous primary and is the front-runner in the race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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he → tout → Newsom
Companies and special interest groups with some of the diciest issues expected to land on California’s next governor’s desk are among the top financial backers of Democrat Xavier Becerra, the gubernatorial front runner.
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Companies → expect → Becerra
Money from Big Tech, the healthcare industry, labor unions and tribes helped propel Becerra’s bid for governor, which languished at the outset then took off just months before the June primary.
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which → propel → primary
All are major players in national and state politics and have a major financial stake on the policies of California’s next governor.
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All → have → governor
Meta, which has contributed nearly $1.2 million to groups backing Becerra’s campagin, has faced mounting scrutiny by lawmakers and the courts.
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which → contribute → lawmakers
The Menlo Park-based company, which operates social media and communication platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, just agreed to a landmark $17.1 billion settlement to resolve multi-state claims that its apps endanger children.
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apps → base → children
The state Legislature in August also passed a measure to bar social media platforms from providing an “addictive feature” to lure children, as well as bills to shield Californians from threats posed by the boom in artificial intelligence and data centers.
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Legislature → pass → intelligence
The fate of these measures is now in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the next governor likely will have to decide whether approve even stricter controls on Big Tech.
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governor → have → Tech
Meta is among eight donors that wrote seven-figure checks supporting Becerra’s gubernatrial campaign, with most of he money funneled to independent committees backing the Democrat that are not allowed to legally coordinate with the candidate.
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that → write → candidate
Campaigns often find back doors to do so.
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Campaigns → find → doors
Former state Sen. Steve Glazer, a Democrat who ran Jerry Brown’s successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign, said such spending is not surprising.
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spending → run → campaign
“Look, millions and billions of dollars are at stake, and the governor is the central point for all of that in California,” Glazer said.
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Glazer → look → California
“It’s not a gamble anymore.
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It → ’ → ?
You’re not picking a winner or a loser, right?
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You → pick → winner
So the floodgates open up for a runaway winner like Xavier Becerra.”
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floodgates → open → Becerra
Becerra, the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a longtime congressman, won one of the top two spots in the chaotic June primary.
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Becerra → win → primary
Republican Steve Hilton, a conservative media commentator and strategist who was endorsed by President Trump, won the other slot to advance to the Nov. 3 election.
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who → endorse → election
Becerra is considered a heavy favorite to win, given that Democratic voters in California outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1.
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voters → consider → Republicans
Becerra has the financial edge in the race, raising at least $30 million while also receiving significant support from the independent committees.
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Becerra → have → committees
Donors have contributed $48.8 million to Becerra’s campaign committee as well as outside efforts supporting his bid, according to a Times analysis of contributions through Sept. 3.
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Donors → contribute → Sept.
A Becerra spokesman said that although the campaign welcomed support from any donor, he would not weigh their contributions as he makes policy decisions if elected
“Xavier Becerra is laser-focused on making California work for working people — lowering costs, building housing, and making this state affordable again,” said Jonathan Underland, a spokesman for the Democrat.
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Underland → say → Democrat
“Anyone willing to stand with us in that fight is welcome to join it, and we won’t hesitate to challenge anyone who gets in the way of that goal.
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who → stand → goal
His GOP rival raked in $18.8 million, including a $90,100 contribution from the candidate himself.
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rival → rake → candidate
Hilton’s top donors are billionaires and business executives including manufacturer Donald Friese and his wife Andrea, Silicon Valley billionaire Tim Draper, former Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Los Angeles real estate magnate Geoffrey Palmer and the founder of defense contractor Anduril Industries, Palmer Luckey.
Executives and employees at Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions Inc., a company that makes contamination monitoring systems, contributed more than $474,000 to Hilton’s campaign.
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that → include → campaign
A small handful of donors gave to both candidates.
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handful → give → candidates
Uber and its employees gave nearly $42,000 to Hilton, while the company and an affiliated political action committee spent $1,039,200 supporting Becerra.
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company → give → Becerra
Vlad Tenev, founder of the financial trading platform Robinhood, gave $289,000 to Becerra and $15,000 to Hilton.
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Tenev → give → Hilton
A committee ostensibly established to oppose Hilton, an effort that effectively propped him up among Republican voters before the June primary, raised $2.5 million through large donations from the California Nurses Assn., the Service Employees International Union, the Democratic Governors Assn. and wealthy businessman Bill Bloomfield, an unsuccessful congressional candidate and Republican-turned-Democrat.
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that → establish → Democrat
Hilton said Becerra’s financial backers are unsurprising and illustrate the “corruption” created by one-party rule in Sacramento.
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backers → say → Sacramento
“All these businesses and organizations assume he’s going to be the next governor, so they’re trying to bribe him,” Hilton said in an interview.
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Hilton → assume → interview
“You can call it donations if you want, but it’s actually legalized bribery. ...
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it → call → it
Big business and special interests are shoveling cash into his mouth in the hope that they can bribe him to do their bidding.”
Becerra, who served in public office for nearly 35 years, has a long history of support from powerful industries, labor unions and others with business before the government.
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who → shovel → government
During his 24 years in Congress, donors spent roughly $11 million supporting Becerra, according to the Times analysis and Open Secrets, a nonprofit, nonpartisan tracker of campaign fundraising.
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donors → spend → fundraising
While he served as California attorney general for four years, contributors spent nearly $9.4 million backing him.
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contributors → serve → him
Among the former Biden Cabinet secretary’s top financial backers in the governor’s race are labor unions, healthcare groups, tech companies and Native American tribes that own some of the state’s splashiest casinos.
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that → own → casinos
All will probably be affected by decisions made by the next governor.
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All → affect → governor
The Laborers’ International Union of North America and local affiliates and political arms, focused on infrastructure projects and the creation of union jobs, has contributed nearly $3.2 million.
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Union → focus → million
…and 40 more, not listed.
