California corruption crisis infests Newsom’s Sacramento — the public must know the truth

 The recent federal indictment of Dana Williamson — California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff — should come as no surprise: It’s the latest example of a thoroughly corrupt Sacramento political culture that afflicts both parties. 

But as bad as you may think the corruption is, I can tell you first-hand that it is much worse.  

For Democrats, supermajority status has resulted in a “might makes right” attitude of abusing their power to impose their will — and to help themselves.   

Worse, because Democrats control almost all the levers of state and local law enforcement (including the state attorney general’s office and most local district attorneys’ offices), bad behavior has been tolerated because of party loyalty.

Democrats don’t often call out other Democrats for corruption. 

The problem with Sacramento’s corruption extends beyond ethically-challenged politicians.

It includes an unelected and largely unknown network of political consultants and lobbyists who are enriching themselves and trading favors on behalf of their clients. 

The allegations against Williamson are a good illustration.

She is a well-known Democratic political operative known for her mafia-like approach to politics; that’s why Newsom wanted her in charge of his office.

Williamson is accused of illegally laundering roughly $225,000 in campaign funds to reward political consultants in her orbit.   

Many have wondered: Why would someone steal money to give it to someone else?  

But that’s how Sacramento’s corrupt system operates.

Political operatives help fellow political operatives by directing business to them — with the presumed expectation that they’ll receive favors in return in the future. 

Williamson is also accused of trading access to the governor’s office for a former client and prominent political contributor to Democrat politicians. 

It’s common in Sacramento for a corporation to hire a political operative when he or she is not in government, anticipating that the operative will deliver for that company once he or she returns to an official role. 

The allegations against Williamson were exposed by stories in the media — and whispered about in political circles for years — but no state or local law enforcement agency took any action. 

On the contrary, the former executive director of the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission recently donated $1,000 to Williamson’s legal defense fund.

The so-called ethics watchdogs in California are not only looking the other way; they are circling the wagons.

Attorney General Rob Bonta, the state’s top law enforcement official, is himself facing questions related to recent charges brought by the federal government against Bay Area political figures and their business backers.

Bonta has had to use nearly $500,000 in campaign funds for criminal defense attorneys as he responds to queries from federal investigators in that case.

Both the indictment of Williamson and the investigation involving Bonta highlight a sad reality: The only hope we have to hold California politicians accountable comes from Washington, DC.

But when the feds step in with federal charges, California politicians claim they are being politically targeted. 

In fact, Newsom has already issued a statement claiming that the charges against Williamson are somehow politically directed by Donald Trump. 

The corruption problem is not confined to Democrats; it extends to some in the Republican Party as well —  but because Republicans don’t really control our government, they resort to grifting off campaigns that their donors support.

Sometimes multiple Republican or conservative campaigns are active on one particular issue at the same time. Instead of working together, these campaigns compete for donors and undermine each other.

The goal is to make the most money for themselves. Whether they win or lose is an afterthought.

While none of this bad behavior is illegal or involves government funds, it illustrates a broken culture on the GOP side that is one of the biggest reasons why the party has been incapable of operating as a true opposition force in state politics. 

Republican politicians know there is a serious problem with their political operatives, but have largely looked the other way — for fear these consultants may turn on them, too.  

Worse, some elected Republicans fear rocking the boat with special interests because they’re looking to become lobbyists or consultants once their terms end. 

If we are going to hold both parties accountable, we have to make sure the public knows the truth about how the corrupt Sacramento system works for the insiders — at the public’s expense. 

Carl DeMaio represents California Assembly District 75 and is chairman of Reform California. 

https://nypost.com/2025/12/11/opinion/california-corruption-crisis-infests-newsoms-sacramento/