Newsom Wants Taxpayer Money For Vanity Project That Arnold Schwarzenegger Self-Funded

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants state taxpayers to shell out $33,000 for an official gubernatorial self-portrait, despite former GOP California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger privately paying for his.

Newsom released his final “Governor’s Proposed Budget” for 2026-2027 on Jan. 9, leaving the state Legislature to review it until revisions are made in May. Within the proposal, Newsom included a $33,000 budget line as “state operations” for a governor’s portrait, which would be paid out of California’s general fund.

While the proposed allocation aligns with California’s longstanding tradition and state law requiring an oil portrait of each governor upon retirement, the budget request comes as the last two governors did not use taxpayer dollars and the state faces another major deficit.

Before Newsom, former Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown, who served from 2011 to 2019, did not set aside budget funds for a governor’s portrait. Instead, Brown used his 1984 portrait by Don Bachardy, which had been created to commemorate his first two terms as governor from 1975 to 1983.

Schwarzenegger also did not use taxpayer dollars for his final gubernatorial portrait after serving from 2003 to 2011. Although funds could have been allocated, Schwarzenegger, whose portrait was painted by Gottfried Helnwein in 2014, paid for it privately using his own money.

Newsom’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Under Newsom’s leadership, California faced major deficits for the last three fiscal cycles, including a $27 billion deficit in 2023-2024, $55 billion in 2024-2025 and $15 billion in 2025-2026. As the Legislature prepared for a fourth consecutive deficit in 2026-2027, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office admitted in November 2025 that it botched its deficit estimate by roughly $5 billion.

For the 2026-2027 budget, the LAO expects an estimated $18 billion shortfall, with legislative analyst Gabriel Petek saying the administration now estimates California will maintain structural deficits ranging between $15 billion and $25 billion through 2028-2029.

Throughout media hits over the last year, Newsom appeared to attempt to paint his childhood as a struggle, often discussing how his mother constantly worked. However, Newsom’s late father, William Newsom, administered the Getty family’s billion-dollar fortune.

William Newsom attended school with former Democrat California Gov. Jerry Brown, as well as Gordon and Paul Getty Jr., members of the well-known Getty Oil dynasty. After Newsom graduated from college, he founded a Northern California winery backed by Getty money.

Throughout Newsom’s political career, the governor also co-founded a handful of businesses, launching his PlumpJack Associates LP, which led to the opening of PlumpJack winery, at just 24 years old, according to Finance Monthly. The brand, according to the outlet, expanded into restaurants, hotels and retail stores.

Prior to becoming San Francisco mayor in 2004, Newsom sold his stake in most of his San Francisco projects, with his business holdings valued at an estimated $7 million just two years prior.

Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom have also made expensive real estate moves over the years. Their latest home buy was a $3.7 million home in Sacramento as well as acquiring a $9.1 million estate in Kentfield, California which was once owned by Hyatt heir Daniel Pritzker, according to The Hill.

It’s believed that Newsom’s net worth is roughly $30 million, Final Monthly reported in November 2024.

California’s 2026-2027 budget will undergo revisions and be finalized in the summer.