Paramount Pictures donated $40,000 to help Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom stay in office.
California Secretary of State records showed the production company donated $40,000 to a committee called “Stop the Republican Recall of Governor Newsom,” Deadline reported Tuesday.
Paramount Contributes $40,000 To Gavin Newsom Anti-Recall Effort https://t.co/Ib4xPtGyqG
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) June 1, 2021
Paramount Pictures also donated $5,000 to the California Democratic Party in March and contributed to Newsom’s election campaign back in 2018, according to the outlet.
A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures told Deadline that the contribution to “Stop the Republican Recall of Governor Newsom” was made by ViacomCBS, although Paramount Pictures was reportedly listed on the records. (RELATED: Netflix Co-Founder Gives $3 Million To Help Shield Gavin Newsom From Recall)
Netflix co-founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings recently gave the same committee a $3 million donation. The donation from Hastings makes him Newsom’s largest political donor to-date in the potential recall, Politico reported.
Critics of Newsom have now gained enough signatures to force a recall election: 2.1 million votes have been handed in to California officials, even though only 1.5 million verified signatures are needed to hold a recall election, according to The Hill. However, the recall is not officially on the ballot yet.