Cash payments take center stage in Newsom's 1st recall ad

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As both summer and the scheduling of a recall election date loom, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make sure Californians know about the cash payments and prize money he is doling out.

“Newsom is delivering money to your pocket," a narrator says over a video of a smiling family gathered on a couch in a campaign ad Newsom released Thursday, his first of the recall. It references $1,100 in one-time cash payments he proposed in his state budget.

The spot is one of three now airing statewide on television, though the other two are negative, painting a dark picture of Republicans behind the effort. Their release follows two weeks of Newsom traveling the state as game show host, appearing at theme parks to award millions of dollars in prize money for vaccinations and to celebrate the end of most pandemic-related restrictions.

The celebratory atmosphere mirrors Newsom's growing confidence in his ability to fight off a recall. But some Republicans charge he's wrongly using taxpayer money to buoy his standing and ignoring the state's problems in favor of flashy events.

“It certainly looks like over the last couple days that Gov. Newsom has decided to join the recall circus mentality," former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican running in the recall, said in a Twitter video. “What this recall is really about is rolling up your sleeves and fixing our great state."

But the events showcased the advantage Newsom has over his rivals in his ability to generate headlines and get free media.

“I think it is smart to break out beyond conventional political news," said Rob Stutzman, who served as spokesman for former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had a taste for headline-grabbing appearances.

“It's not going to play well with everyone but, at large, my...