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Can you trust that post about Tom Steyer? How paid influencers are flooding into the governor’s race
San Bernardino County releases proposed budget for 2026-27
By Jeanne Kuang, Yue Stella Yu and Maya C. Miller, CalMatters
By Joe Taglieri
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
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az Roche, also known to nearly 11,000 Tiktok followers as @spo0kymom, hawks facial cleansing bars, baby wagons and AI tools in short social media videos. On a website where clients can pay her to post videos about their products, she says she’s based in Pennsylvania. Yet the content creator has taken an interest in the California governor’s race lately. Tiktok and Instagram accounts linked to Roche have posted 34 times in the past 10 days to boost the campaign of billionaire Tom Steyer or to criticize his main Democratic opponent, Xavier Becerra. “Hear me out, I have something to admit,” she says in the first video, posted May 8, on an account where she describes herself as a “so-cal girlypop.” “I did not expect the most progressive governor candidate to be a billionaire. But look at the policies, you guys.” What she didn’t say was that Steyer’s campaign is paying her to say it. Steyer, who has poured nearly $200 million into the most expensive primary campaign in state history, is under scrutiny for using paid social media influencers to post favorable things about him. Is that legal? Gov. Gavin Newsom three years ago signed a law meant to bring transparency to the increasingly intertwined world of politics and content creators, enacting a law requiring influencers to be upfront in their posts about being paid by a political campaign. In one of the first tests of the law, regulators have opened an investigation into one of the Steyer influ-
joet@civicnewsgroup.com
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California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer on Feb. 21, 2026. | Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters
encer videos. But experts and transparency advocates aren’t optimistic: The law was intentionally designed with no real penalties, and the agency responsible for enforcing it sometimes takes years to resolve investigations. “This is where the ‘Wild West’ analogy becomes useful,” said Dan Schnur, a political science professor and former chair of the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission. ‘Inundate the internet’ Campaign finance filings from January through April 18 show Steyer has paid over $123,400 to at least eight influencers. The New York Times reported that includes $100,000 to Texas-based Latino mega-influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina, whose 14.3 million Tiktok followers are a coveted target for Democrats and who has endorsed Steyer. The campaign is also paying over $870,000 to a
digital media agency, Group Project Digital, that solicits creators to post daily videos about Steyer. The listing initially offered $10 per video; it was amended last week to offer $1,000 a month and now includes a sentence telling creators they need to disclose the payments. The state investigation covers just one of the influencer videos, in which content creator Isaiah Washington (known as @ zaydante) did not disclose that Steyer’s campaign paid him $10,000 for a nowdeleted video. It was sparked by a complaint from a pair of political social media influencers who post frequently in support of Becerra. On Tuesday, they filed another complaint alleging numerous additional paid, undisclosed posts, including from accounts in other countries. See Tom Steyer Page 04
“What he’s done is inundate the Internet in every way, shape and form to try and create an echo chamber,” said Beatrice Gomberg, one of the complainants. Among the accounts they’ve recently highlighted: @foosgonewild, which has posted memes, content about Southern California street culture and, on May 5, an interview with Steyer talking about his opposition to ICE. The account has 3.3 million followers on Instagram and 1 million on Tiktok. The Tiktok video has no disclosures. On Instagram, at the bottom of the video description, the account notes it’s a partner with California-based social video firm Flighthouse. Neither the content creator nor Flighthouse responded to requests for comment. The Steyer campaign would not disclose
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VOL. 12,
he San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday received a recommended budget totaling $10.9 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. Spending dropped by $26.1 million, primarily due to a decrease in one-time funding obligations for various projects allocated in the 2025-26 mid-year budget report, according to County CEO Luther Snoke. This year’s Recommended Budget proposes $273.7 million for priority spending, including $14.9 million in ongoing funding, $145.4 million in one-time spending, $81.7 million in reserve usage and $31.8 million in other funding, Snoke reported. The County Administrative Office is keeping a close watch on these economic challenges: Assessed Value — “Property taxes, the primary revenue source for the County General Fund, are beginning to moderate after a prolonged period of strong expansion,” the CEO reported. Market Volatility — “The geopolitical environment, stock market, and commodity market volatility pose risks by increasing uncertainty in revenue forecasts and potentially reducing investment returns for public pensions,” Snoke observed. “These factors can constrain the ability to maintain essential services and long-term financial stability.” Uncertainty with federal and state funding — “Federal and state funding face uncertainties due to policy changes, persistent inflation, and potential budgetary cuts,” according to the report. “Specifically, See Budget Page 28
the passing of ... (the federal) One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced additional uncertainty, as changes could have significant fiscal impacts to the County. Ongoing risks such as natural disasters, local emergencies and lawsuits against the county compound fiscal challenges, Snoke reported. “Through continued monitoring and careful financial planning, the 2026-27 Recommended Budget aims to mitigate these economic risks by prudently forecasting revenue and prioritizing one-time investments rather than creating longterm liabilities,” he wrote. Spending priorities include: “Capital needs” — “The Board prioritizes delivery of services within local communities across this expansive county by investing in modern, well-maintained facilities and addressing infrastructure needs early to avoid higher long-term costs,” according to Snoke. The 2026–27 Recommended Budget allocates $40.9 million in one-time funding, $15.6 million in reserve usage and $20.7 million in other funding for facility improvements, public safety infrastructure and community-serving capital projects. Public safety — The proposed budget calls for $1.4 million in one-time funding, $16.3 million in reserve usage, $449,413 in ongoing funding, $4.9 million in other one-time funding and $4.7 million in other ongoing support “to strengthen code enforcement and illegal cannabis abatement, support Sheriff/ Coroner/Public Adminis-