SACRAMENTO, California — Today's Why Guy question from Nancy Yeager: "Who is paying for the governor's trip to China?. We have many homeless and other problems here that need attention..."
Nancy, there isn't much known about why or when Gov. Gavin Newsom started thinking about a trip to China, but he arrived there Monday and returns later this week.
Newsom's itinerary shows he planned to visit five Chinese cities to talk about climate change and development, among other things.
But questions about the overall cost of the trip and who's footing the bill remain. Well, it's a nonprofit called the California State Protocol Foundation based in Oakland.
They take philanthropic donations to cover some costs the governor incurs, especially for foreign travel. Their mission statement: "to lessen the burden on California taxpayers by relieving the state of California of its obligations to fund certain expenditures..."
The California State Protocol Foundation is a registered nonprofit that's funded events like the governor’s State of the State address and the Capitol Tree Lighting ceremony.
When Newsom traveled to El Salvador in 2019, the California State Protocol Foundation picked up the whole tab but refused to answer questions on the record about how much it cost, according to the Sacramento Bee.
That said, for Newsom's current trip to China, no California taxpayers are on the hook for this. According to the governor's office, Newsom and his staff are being funded fully by the California State Protocol Foundation.
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