Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has quietly hired a prolific photographer on the taxpayer dime as he seeks to build his national image, his office confirmed to Daily Caller News Foundation.
The California Governor’s Office hired photographer Charles Ommanney, who has worked for celebrity clients and worked as a photojournalist, in January to serve as its director of photography; a job that comes with a $200,000 taxpayer-funded salary, Politico reported on Friday. Many political insiders suspect that Newsom may have national ambitions, pointing to his eagerness to challenge Republicans outside his state on hot-button issues.
“Charles plays an instrumental role in communicating the work of state government across visual platforms — including social media, helping us meet Californians where they are at,” Newsom spokeswoman Izzy Gardon told the Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: It Could Take California Until 2030 To Fully Recover From Its Population Exodus)
Ommanney has worked for celebrity clients such as Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama, according to Politico. He also appeared on “The Real Housewives of D.C.” in 2010, according to the New York Times. He also worked for decades in the press as a photojournalist at outlets like Newsweek and The Washington Post, at times traveling to destinations like Afghanistan or Rwanda to cover ongoing conflicts, according to his LinkedIn.
Newsom’s photographer makes almost as much as the governor himself, who drew a salary of $234,101 last year, according to Politico.
“Unlike nearly all of his predecessors and gubernatorial counterparts, the real story here is that Governor Newsom did not have a dedicated photographer for over five years,” Gardon told the DCNF. “We’re thrilled that changed when Charles joined our team.”
The California Governor’s Office pointed out that the governors of Ohio, Massachusetts, and New York all have photographers as well.
.@GavinNewsom is in Mission Hills cleaning up a homeless encampment near the freeway.
He’s frustrated L.A. County leaders aren’t doing more to remove encampments.
I talk about that & the presidential race coming up on @FOXLA at 6p & @TheIssueIsShowpic.twitter.com/jMxg4A1lP7
— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) August 8, 2024
Ommanney is already hard at work polishing Newsom’s image, filming Newsom in work clothes and sunglasses on Thursday as he picked up waste leftover from a cleared-out homeless encampment in Los Angeles, Politico reported. The photographer also captured the governor in July as he examined the damage caused by wildfires in the state and tagged along with him to China last year as a freelancer.
Newsom’s generous spending on a photographer came as his state faced a projected $73 billion deficit for the 2024 fiscal year, according to a report released by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. Analysts cited declining state revenue and high spending when calculating the large budgetary pitfall.
California in June passed a new budget that cuts spending on government operations, prisons, housing programs, and workforce development, according to CalMatters. The state claims that the new budget will lead to a modest surplus in the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
