California Governor Gavin Newsom is under fire over “behested payments” tied to a high-profile casino battle involving the Koi Nation. The controversy centers on $1 million in donations to his wife’s charity from the Graton Rancheria tribe—payments made at Newsom’s direct request—just before he used his office to try to block the tribe’s competition.
In August 2024, Newsom urged the Biden administration to reject a $700 million casino project proposed by the Koi Nation. Despite his intervention, the project was approved. In May 2025, Newsom escalated matters by suing the Trump administration in a last-ditch effort to stop the development. Meanwhile, the Graton Rancheria, which opposes the new casino and operates one just 15 miles away, contributed $500,000 to Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s California Partners Project in both April 2024 and April 2025—right before each intervention by the governor.
California’s public records show Newsom personally requested the payments. Ethics experts say the timing is troubling. “Any reasonably objective person would conclude this looks horrible,” said Kendra Arnold of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. The Koi Nation, which has fewer than 100 members, claims the opposition stems from a desire to crush economic competition.
The scandal adds to a pattern. Newsom has requested nearly $6 million in behested payments from corporations and tribes with business before the state. He vetoed legislation shortly after CVS donated to another charity connected to his travels. In another case, Newsom awarded a $14 million contract just days after a nonprofit contributed $99,000 to his wife’s charity at his request.
Ethics watchdog Michael Chamberlain said, “This is very troubling and likely warrants further investigation by authorities.”
