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Connie Ballmer, Steve's wife, contributed $1 million to Gov. Gavin Newsom's campaign to fight his recall in 2021. The couple also contributed $500,000 to former State Senate leader Toni Atkins' campaign committee for Proposition 1 in 2022, which enshrined the right to an abortion in California's constitution. KCRA 3 reached out to the Clippers organization for comment but did not hear back as of Wednesday night. The proposal is now heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. "Our office does not typically comment on pending legislation," said Izzy Gardon, a spokesman for the governor. "The Governor will evaluate the Legislature's proposal on its merits if it reaches his desk."
Sean Cunningham: In attendance for tonight’s Game 5 at Golden 1 Center include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento natives Shaq Thompson (Panthers LB) & Derrek Lee (former MLB All-Star), Former Kings Brad Miller, Bobby Jackson, Peja Stojakovic & his son, All-American Andrej Stojakovic.
While the Celtics and Warriors battle on the court in a tightly contested NBA Finals, the governors of California and Massachusetts have joined in on the action. In a tweet Wednesday, about a half hour before the tipoff of game three, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker promised California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the Celtics would claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year.
He offered a bet to Newsom: if the Warriors win, Baker will wear a Golden State jersey of Newsom’s choosing. If the Celtics win, Newsom would have to wear a Boston jersey of Baker’s choosing. Newsom responded shortly after, accepting the bet and tweeting that Baker would have to wear a Stephen Curry jersey.
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Faced with dramatically rising COVID-19 hospitalizations, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday the state will open the emergency field hospital at the Sleep Train Arena practice facility building in Sacramento’s Natomas area. Opening day will be Wednesday, Dec. 9, he said, with the first 20 beds available.
The Sleep Train site, which the Sacramento Kings NBA team used before moving to Golden 1 Arena, can house nearly 244 patients. Medical supplies are available, and the state can call on both state and federal healthcare teams to assist.
Anthony Slater: Gavin Newsom at his presser this afternoon: "Sporting events, pro sports, in that first week or so of June -- without spectators and (with) modifications and very prescriptive conditions -- can also begin to move forward." Warriors have anticipated a June 1 reopening of facility.
The Sacramento Kings said Monday they’ll stop charging the state of California rent for using their former arena as a COVID-19 field hospital, but will pocket the $1 million they’ve been paid so far, representatives of the team and the state told The Sacramento Bee. The new arrangement comes three weeks after The Bee revealed the Kings were charging the state $500,000 a month for a three-month rental of the Natomas facility, despite statements by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kings chairman Vivek Ranadive in early April that implied the old arena had been lent for free.
As California loosens stay-at-home orders and moves to re-open several businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed that restarting sports with fans in attendance remains a daunting challenge. “It’s difficult to imagine a stadium that’s filled until we have immunity and until we have a vaccine,” Newsom said.
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The state won’t move into the final phase of Newsom’s plan, which includes the reopening of sporting events to fans, until immunity to COVID-19 has increased and a vaccine is widely available. “It’s a very tough question for these leagues to answer because they must have a safety-first, health-first mindset,” Newsom said in a press conference. “There are conditions that persist in this state and this nation that make re-opening very, very challenging.”
For sports leagues to function, they will also need access to tests and, possibly, vaccines. The NBA estimates it needs at least 15,000 test kits in order to safely resume play, but commissioner Adam Silver has stated he isn’t comfortable using a high volume of tests while they are still publicly in high demand. Newsom, a noted sports fan, has been in contact with officials from several leagues. “It’s very fluid, and it should be,” Newsom said. “They should be very, very sensitive to the needs of the community.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and the team’s legal counsel lobbied Los Angeles health officials for help in getting the practice facility open in El Segundo, Calif., a source confirmed to The Athletic (first reported by ESPN). And the Lakers are hardly alone when it comes to lobbying efforts. Sources say all four of the league’s California teams (Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Kings) are hoping to convince Governor Gavin Newsom to include them in “Stage 2” of his reopening plan, perhaps with the help of the mayors in their respective cities. As Newsom detailed via Twitter on Tuesday, that stage would include “gradually reopening some lower-risk workplaces with adaptations.”
The expenses are detailed in a state contract The Bee obtained after filing a request under the California Public Records Act with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services. The contract — signed quietly and without public announcement — now raises questions about the expenditure of taxpayer money to enrich an NBA franchise that paid its top player Harrison Barnes $24.1 million in 2019. The Kings are owned by a wealthy group of investors that includes Ranadivé, a software multi-millionaire.
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