Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed one of his longtime political advisers to a paid state board position as he approaches the final stretch of his time leading California, renewing criticism from opponents who argue that political favoritism has marked parts of his administration.
Newsom selected Jim DeBoo, his former chief of staff and a veteran political strategist, to serve on the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. The position pays close to $60,000 a year for monthly board meetings.
DeBoo, who launched DeBoo Strategic Affairs in 2023, does not appear to have an extensive public background in flood management or water policy. His appointment still requires confirmation by the state Senate.
The decision prompted criticism from California Republicans, who described it as another instance of Newsom rewarding political allies as he looks beyond the governor’s office and is widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender. Newsom is also the subject of a federal investigation.
“Governor Newsom is months away from leaving office, yet he still wants his friends in key government positions, including in roles where subject-matter expertise is in question,” said state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach.
“This is cronyism at its best.”
Neither the governor’s office nor DeBoo responded to requests for comment.
DeBoo joined Newsom’s administration in 2020 as executive secretary, a role that effectively made him the governor’s chief of staff. His arrival came as California remained under COVID-19 restrictions and a recall effort against Newsom was building momentum.
He and his firm have hauled in more than $2.4 million in campaign money since 2020, according to The Post’s review of records on the Secretary of State’s website.
This work included numerous ballot measures by the state Democratic Party and the governor, including the 2021 recall.
After leaving government, DeBoo became one of Sacramento’s best-known Democratic consultants.
His firm has touted his work shaping Newsom’s agenda, managing the administration through major crises and serving as chair of the governor’s inaugural committee.
He has helped Newsom push back on the state billionaire tax while the governor last week pivoted to floating a national billionaire tax.
Meanwhile, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board oversees flood-control planning and permitting across one of California’s most flood-prone regions, including levees, floodways and projects tied to the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems.
Also on Friday, Newsom appointed Jared Blumenfeld, his former California Environmental Protection Agency secretary, to the State Water Resources Control Board, a job paying $186,721.
Blumenfeld notably has more experience for this role than DeBoo, but his ties to the governor go back even further after working for Newsom when the latter was mayor of San Francisco.
Critics of the governor say the appointments show another example of Newsom handing out gifts to those who are loyal to him.
Last week, The Post documented a slew of appointments Newsom gave to wealthy donors who contributed money to Newsom’s political action committees, as well as the California Partners Project, a nonprofit that amplifies the public image of the governor’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
Those who received coveted appointments included Mark Arabo, CEO of Refined Management, who gave a $25,000 contribution the day before Newsom appointed him to the State Racetrack Leasing Commission; Andrew Tavakoli, chief executive of Tavaco Properties, who gave $45,000 months before being appointed to the Exposition Park and California Science Center Board; and Greg Sarris, leader of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which has given $2.3 million in behested payments to Newsom since 2022.
Sarris was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents in 2023.
“This is just more of the same insider games from Gavin Newsom that puts Californians last,” California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin told The Post.
“These important boards exist to protect our water, our communities, and our safety, not to serve as cushy rewards for his political allies that damage our communities and drive up our cost of living. The next governor needs to end this decadent system of patronage and put Californians, not their friends, first.”
