Former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya says he wants to run for Governor Gavin Newsom



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Silicon Valley venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya has endorsed efforts to recall Governor Gavin Newsom and launched a website announcing his own potential candidacy.

Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive who is now CEO of venture capital firm Social Capital and a minority shareholder of the Golden State Warriors, has not filed any forms with the California Secretary of State’s office or taken any other action. concrete steps to stand for election.

He did not immediately return a request for SFGATE comment.


Monday, he tweeted a link on his “Chamath for California Governor” website, which only contains the text, “California is a mess – it’s too expensive, our teachers are underpaid and our schools are not good enough,” followed by six policy proposals:

  • Create a “0% state tax” (which probably means the repeal of state income tax).
  • Raise the minimum salary for teachers to $ 70,000 per year (Glassdoor estimates that in 2021, the average annual salary for a teacher in California is between $ 40,000 and $ 60,000).
  • Make California “the world center for all technological and climate jobs”.
  • Allow students to choose their schools by offering free school vouchers.
  • Guarantee Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) “so you never have to get student loans again”.
  • Give families $ 2,000 for every new child born in California.

If the recall effort succeeds in collecting 1.5 million valid signatures, a recall election will take place later this year. If the recall fails, Palihapitiya is expected to run in 2022. Either way, he would be the first Democrat to enter the race. Former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer – a Republican – announced the creation of a governor’s exploratory committee.

FEC records show that Palihapitiya has donated tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic parties over the past year. In May 2019, he donated the maximum individual amount to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign during the Democratic primary before she gave up almost a year later. He then donated $ 250,000 to a fundraising committee supporting President Joe Biden in the general election.

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