Category: Gavin newsom
Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton blows open California’s $400 billion fraud machine in gubernatorial bid
Between sky-high taxes, radical left-wing policies, and staggering levels of fraud, California has turned into such a nightmare that droves of people are leaving every year.
But one man believes he can save the Golden State from its downward trajectory: Steve Hilton.
The British-born conservative commentator is the former senior adviser to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, an ex-Fox News host of “The Next Revolution,” a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and a Republican candidate for California governor in 2026. Recently endorsed by President Trump, Hilton is leading several polls against a crowded field, including Democrats and fellow Republican Chad Bianco.
On a recent episode of “Rufo and Lomez,” he joined BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo to expose the depth of California’s depravity and share his plan for a statewide overhaul.
“California today is what you get when the Democrats get everything they want,” says Hilton.
The results of 16 years of unchallenged Democrat rule speak for themselves:
“We have now today in California the highest poverty rate in the country (tied with Louisiana), the highest unemployment rate of all 50 states, the highest cost of living. Everything is the most expensive here: gas, electric, groceries, housing costs — everything,” he lists.
“U.S. News and World Report ranked California 50th out of 50 states for opportunity; WalletHub ranked us as 50th out of 50 for affordability. Chief Executive Magazine [ranked] California 50th out of 50 states for business climate,” Hilton continues, noting that this is “not the end of the list.”
After years of paying “the highest taxes for the worst results,” a “real revolution” is beginning to catch fire, he says. Even though the thought of California — one of the deepest blue states on the map — being run by a Republican governor feels like a pipe dream to many, Hilton believes the state government’s failures are so catastrophic at this point that a red victory is now feasible.
“I really think that this year we could get a major upset and you’ll see a Republican governor elected in November,” he says.
Rufo is thrilled at the prospect of a Republican governor in California for many reasons but especially when it comes to the shocking amount of fraud that’s been exposed under current Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Depending on how you calculate the numbers [and] which programs you include, at the very low end, we had something like $180 billion lost to fraud under Newsom. At the very high end, I think you had something like $400 billion lost under Newsom,” he says, referencing his recent City Journal reporting.
“The scale of these numbers is almost difficult to comprehend. Can you walk us through what you found and what you think the true extent of the fraud is now?” he asks.
Hilton, who launched the investigative initiative CAL DOGE (intentionally modeled after Elon Musk’s federal department), says that what his team has uncovered using just public records, audits, and whistleblower tips is already shocking.
He gives two examples.
“When cannabis was legalized in California through Proposition 64, they said the taxes will go towards substance abuse prevention. Well, we tracked the money down — $370 million of that parceled out in tiny grants to 500+ nonprofits,” says Hilton.
“And when you look at what they do by checking their websites and their annual reports, what do they do? Democrat political activity — registering voters, organizing in the community, all that kind of stuff.”
Hilton’s second example comes from California’s “climate fund.”
Since 2015, the state has allocated $100 million per year to installing solar panels on low-income apartment buildings. However, CAL DOGE found that the program’s own official reports show that only $72 million was actually spent on installing solar panels.
“$928 million, again, goes to all these Democrat political organizations,” says Hilton.
“They take money from the taxpayer and say it’s going for some nice purpose that you think is going to be good, and then it all gets parceled up going to this network of nonprofits that then do things that help the Democrat political machine … and the scale of it is massive,” he adds, noting that CAL DOGE’s range for state fraud is between “$312 billion” and “$425 billion over five years.”
“How can we break that system?” Rufo asks.
To hear Hilton’s answer, watch the video above.
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Vance’s task force shutters 221 hospices in ‘fraud king’ Gavin Newsom’s California
The Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President JD Vance, reported that it has shut down hundreds of hospices and health care providers over a 10-week period.
Vance’s task force, established by presidential executive order on March 16, has been working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to crack down on health care fraud.
‘Remember, none of this fraud could happen unless California issued these licenses.’
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz told Fox News Digital on Thursday that 221 hospice and health care providers in Los Angeles County had been suspended.
“We’ve shut down already, just in the last 10 weeks, 221 hospices in California,” Oz told Fox News Digital, noting that all of the entities were located in Los Angeles.
“We’re able to dramatically accelerate a process that had been meandering along in California,” Oz stated.
Roughly a third of the nation’s hospices, 1,800, are located in Los Angeles, according to Oz. He stated that the administration believes it will shut down half of those entities.
RELATED: Vance’s fraud task force drops hammer: 70 California hospice and home health providers suspended
Mehmet Oz. Alex Wong/Getty Images
“The administration’s war on fraud once again yields results as more suspensions take place and fraudsters face justice for ripping off hard-working Americans and stealing their tax dollars and social services,” a spokesperson for Vance told Blaze News. “The vice president and his task force are proud of these latest figures and expect to see this number continue to grow dramatically.”
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded to the administration’s latest efforts to suspend hospices accused of fraud.
“Glad the federal government is finally stepping up to do their part,” his office wrote. “State has been taking action for years, including suspending 280+ licenses & banning new licenses since 2022.”
Gavin Newsom. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli told Fox News Digital that California has “not taken fraud seriously for over a decade.”
Essayli explained that he refers to Newsom as “the fraud king” because “he has reigned over billions and billions of dollars of fraud.”
“It’s gonna be into the hundreds of billions of dollars under his watch,” Essayli said. “Remember, none of this fraud could happen unless California issued these licenses.”
Newsom’s press office fired back at Essayli after he claimed the governor has refused to implement emergency regulations that would help end hospice fraud.
“The Governor took action: he instituted a BAN on new hospice licenses back in 2022!!” the press office wrote. “Only the federal government has access to medicare billing, CRITICAL to fighting fraud — so why did it take you so long to act, First Assistant?”
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LAPD defies Newsom: Chief refuses to enforce mask ban on ICE
The Los Angeles Police Department says it will not enforce a new California law that restricts federal immigration agents from wearing face coverings, pushing back against a measure backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Police Chief Jim McDonnell said the department will not stop or cite federal agents for violating the state’s mask ban, citing safety concerns and the risk of escalating confrontations between law enforcement agencies.
‘It’s not a safe way to do business.’
“The reality of one armed agency approaching another armed agency to create conflict over something that would be a misdemeanor at best or an infraction — it doesn’t make any sense.”
RELATED: Anti-ICE rioter’s deadly mistake: Woman allegedly tried to run over federal agents before she was fatally shot
Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The No Secret Police Act, signed by Newsom in September, prohibits most law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from wearing masks or facial coverings while carrying out official duties, with limited exceptions for undercover work or protective equipment. Supporters say the measure increases transparency and prevents the use of “secret police” tactics during immigration operations.
Federal officials and Republican leaders have sharply criticized the law, arguing it endangers agents by exposing their identities and unlawfully interferes with federal authority. The U.S. Department of Justice has challenged the law in court, saying it violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
McDonnell said the LAPD’s role is to maintain public safety, not to police federal officers engaged in immigration enforcement.
“You have the ICE agents who are doing their job. And for us to come in then and try and create an enforcement action for wearing a mask, it’s not a safe way to do business,” McDonnell said.
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‘GAVIN’S INCOMPETENT’: Trump Trashes Newsom in Exclusive Interview, ‘Amazed’ He Wants to Be POTUS
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