Newsom has acquired multiple multimillion-dollar properties, often through opaque LLCs and family-linked entities. Critics, including federal investigators, whistleblowers, and investigative journalists, allege these purchases are fueled not just by his pre-political business success but by a web of corruption involving misused taxpayer dollars, donor favors, and money laundering schemes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, while millions of Californians struggled to make ends meet, a staggering $32 billion vanished into the pockets of fraudsters—courtesy of systemic failures orchestrated by the state's own government. This wasn't just negligence; it was a perfect storm of ignored warnings, reckless policies, and insider complicity that turned California's Employment Development Department (EDD) into a criminal's playground