September 15, 2009

Bill Clinton Backs Gavin Newsom’s 2010 CA Gov Bid

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Former president Bill Clinton today showed his support for San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom’s run for California governor in 2010. Next month, Clinton will travel to California to accompany Newsom to a Los Angeles event and a large-dollar fundraiser. This high-profile boosterism comes at a good time: native San Franciscan and current State Attorney General Jerry Brown, has reportedly raised twice as much campaign money as his younger opponent.

Although the backing of a former president is a novel one for California statewide primary (or so a former head of the state’s Democratic Party told ABC) it’s not hard to see why Clinton would favor Newsom. Besides the party line, Clinton ran against Brown in 1992 and Newsom was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton during the Democratic presidential primaries. Newsom told the San Francisco Chronicle the endorsement was “a big deal,” especially considering how early on in the race it is.

While Newsom has been criticized in San Francisco for the Care Not Cash homeless program and “immigration sanctuary,” it’d be hard to find a Democrat Californians like more than Bill Clinton. Basking in Clinton’s glow could only help Newsom, especially considering he polled behind Brown twice in August, even among San Franciscans.

 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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