California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office is “looking into” whether candidates running for governor are paying internet personalities to endorse them, following multiple complaints.
In an interview with KCRA 3 released Monday, Bonta was asked about online influencers’ lack of disclosure about why they are choosing to endorse certain gubernatorial candidates and whether they were paid to do so.
Bonta said his office has received “some complaints” on the matter, adding that he plans to review them to determine if action should be taken.
However, Bonta noted that complaints related to campaign disclosures fall under the jurisdiction of the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
“This is what they do, in campaigns and for political expenditures, they make sure that all the rules are being followed, disclosures are made, reporting is done right and accurately,” Bonta said. “So I think that they have the lead role here.”
The FPPC is an independent state agency that enforces campaign finance, lobbying, conflict-of-interest, and political ethics laws for public officials, candidates, and committees.
Bonta’s comments come as billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer faces allegations that influencers paid by his campaign, including Isaiah “Zayy Dante” Washington, failed to clearly disclose sponsored political posts as required under California law.
In 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed a law requiring online creators to disclose when they are paid by political campaigns to post endorsements or favorable content. The rules were designed to bring transparency to political advertising as campaigns began using TikTok, Instagram, and meme accounts to reach young voters.
Steyer’s campaign reportedly spent thousands of dollars on influencer content to boost his campaign, part of a social media strategy aimed at introducing the former hedge fund manager and climate activist to voters.
But several creators promoting Steyer allegedly omitted disclosures indicating they had been compensated, triggering complaints to the FPPC, which launched an investigation into the candidate’s spending.
Steyer’s top competitor, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, has also been accused of benefitting from similarly undisclosed influencer promotions, though Becerra said he has not paid influencers for promotion and that the support is “organic.”
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Bonta did not specify whether complaints were made about influencers promoting candidates in the Los Angeles mayoral race.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Bonta’s office for comment.