Gavin Newsom employs $200,000 official photographer at taxpayers’ expense

California’s Democrat governor hires former war photojournalist known for his work with Barack Obama to help improve his national profile

Gavin Newsom has hired a $200,000 celebrity photographer to take pictures of him at California taxpayers’ expense.
The Democrat governor, who is tipped for a future presidential run, has hired a photographer known for his work with Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg to take pictures of him as he seeks to improve his national profile.
Mr Newsom hired Charles Ommanney at a cost of $200,000 (£157,000), which has been charged to taxpayers, Politico reported.
The former war photojournalist has become known for his freelance work with high-profile clients, including Mr Newsom, and has now been taken on as an official photographer in the governor’s office. His salary is almost as high as Mr Newsom’s, which stood at $234,101 last year.
His first work for the governor included photographs of Mr Newsom picking up litter from a homeless encampment in Los Angeles on Thursday. It comes after Mr Ommanney was hired to take pictures of the governor’s trip to China last year.
Mr Newsom was tipped as a possible replacement for Joe Biden during speculation about his presidential campaign. He instead emerged as a prominent defender of Mr Biden and is thought to be considering a run for the White House in 2028.
However, Mr Newsom’s image has been damaged since the Covid-19 pandemic by higher rates of crime and drug usage in some cities including San Francisco, which has a large homeless population.
Last month, he ordered that city authorities remove homeless encampments from public property in the state, in what has been interpreted as an attempt to improve his credentials with mainstream Democrats.
Comment
Mr Newsom has declined to comment on the suggestion he is considering a run for the presidency and said he is focused on his work in California.
A poll by the AP-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research last month found that 40 per cent of Americans do not know enough about him to form an opinion, which could pose a challenge during a future Democratic primary.
A spokesman for his office told Politico that Mr Ommanney “plays an instrumental role in communicating the work of state government across visual platforms”.