Kamala Harris’ Book Tour Security Costs Funded by California Taxpayers Could Face Reassessment

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has pledged to revoke Kamala Harris’ taxpayer-funded security if he is elected in November.

The former vice president has come under fire after reports revealed that California Highway Patrol officers have been accompanying her on a book tour.

Initially, Harris secured an extension for her federal security detail with an order signed by Joe Biden, which lasted until July. However, this protection ended in September under Trump’s administration, prompting the state of California to provide her with continued security.

Hilton has expressed his intention to terminate this arrangement if he wins the governor’s race, denouncing it as a “corrupt freebie.”

“The Kamala Harris book tour clearly serves as a component of her presidential campaign,” Hilton told the Post. “Her security expenses should be covered by her campaign donors, assuming she has any, rather than burdening Californians, who already face the highest taxes for subpar services.”

He continued, “This situation exemplifies the Democratic political system’s tendency to misuse taxpayer funds. We’ve had enough. As governor, I will put an end to this misuse of public money for Kamala Harris’s benefit.”

“Our brave CHP officers have enough on their plate dealing with the Democrats’ crime wave without having to traipse around after a failed and rejected machine politician who can’t bear to be out of the limelight.”

Dozens of officers have been yanked off the streets since September to shadow the failed presidential candidate as she travels across the country and overseas to tout the memoir.

The union representing CHP officers told the Post it had been made aware of the protection but had no idea of the details surrounding it.

A spokesman said in a statement: “The California Association Highway Patrolmen is aware of the recent interest in former Vice President Kamala Harris and her California Highway Patrol protection detail, involving our union members.

“Because the CAHP is unaware of the exact amount of resources (numbers of union members working the protection), including the cost, we are not qualified to provide an opinion regarding staffing or budget stress (if at all) this has created.”

State officials haven’t disclosed the number of officers assigned to Harris or the total amount of taxpayer dollars spent on her security — but a retired CHP officer said it would be “significant.”

“All I know is it’s a lot, it is a significant amount of money,” Republican Assemblyman Tom Lackey, who spent 28 years as a member of the CHP, told KCRA.

“We’re living in an unstable environment right now, and it’s really hard to predict circumstances and people’s behavior, and so she deserves that kind of protection,” Lackey added.

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He said that as California’s former attorney general, Harris was entitled to protection by law enforcement officers if credible threats exist, as mandated by state law.

But a Secret Service threat intelligence assessment found no credible evidence of a threat to Harris. The former VP debuted her memoir, “107 Days,” with a 15-city tour that began in New York City on Sept. 24.

The book details her brief 2024 presidential campaign after President Biden withdrew from the race.

The tour hit major cities including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, Nashville and Miami, continuing on to Toronto and even London.

After selling out her 2025 tour dates, Harris added 18 more for 2026, starting in New Orleans on January 13 and concluding in Anaheim on April 10.