How much do candidates in the Gavin Newsom recall make? You can see their tax returns
The 41 candidates in California’s gubernatorial recall campaign make money from book deals, real estate, cattle farms, and event planning companies.
Their incomes span a wide range, from those whose income strayed into negative territory to those who earned several million dollars, according to tax documents posted Sunday on the California Secretary of State’s Office website.
Under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019, gubernatorial candidates are required to provide five years of tax returns to the state in order to run. Earlier this year, the governor released his own returns, showing he and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, earned about $1.7 million in 2019.
The highest earner among the recall candidates was Anthony Trimino, an Irvine Republican who is CEO and president of Traffik advertising. Trimino and his wife, Jennifer, reported making more than $4.3 million in 2020, most of it from the advertising agency.
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and his wife Katherine Stuart reported a total income of $358,119 in 2019, most of it from Restaurant Events, Inc., the San Diego company controlled by Stuart that organizes events with restaurants, including parties that have been known to shut down several city blocks.
Former Congressman Doug Ose, a Republican, paid $193,086 in federal taxes on an income of $717,183 in 2019.
Ose’s company, GRP 2011 LLC, has for years operated Gibson Ranch Regional Park under a lease deal with Sacramento County. Ose agreed to take the park over about a decade ago when the county could no longer afford to maintain it.
Tax filings from 2016 show Ose’s company lost $28,358 on the park. In 2017, the former lawmaker negotiated a better deal with the county, and the company made $76,186 from the deal. In 2018, the company made $20,331 from the park, and in 2019, he lost $3,281. The county took control of the park back from Ose’s company under a deal announced in late 2019.
John Cox and his wife Sarah Hall Cox reported an income of $278,928 in 2019. He reported zero taxable income after deducting huge losses on investment partnerships, but still paid $1,099 in taxes. Much of Cox’s income came from rents on the residential properties he owns.
Reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner reported earning $558,774 in 2019, paying $143,076 in federal income taxes. A sizable portion of her income, about $365,000, came from a business called CJ Memoires LLC, likely connected to sales from Jenner’s book, “The Secrets of My Life,” which published in 2017.
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, earned $113,311 in 2020, which included $1,436 in income from the Ose-Kiley Cattle Co., a business he co-owns with rival Ose.
On the lower end of the spectrum, entertainer and Los Angeles billboard icon Angelyne reported an income loss of $69,111 in 2020. Some candidates, like Nickolas Wildstar and John R. Drake, reported no tax returns for any of the five years.
The Secretary of State’s Office is expected to certify the ballot and candidates on Wednesday.
Notably missing from the initial list: conservative talk radio host Larry Elder. Elder’s campaign said they submitted the necessary documents by the Friday deadline, but the Secretary of State’s Office said he was omitted because of incomplete tax information.
Elder, in a video message to followers on Monday, said he would challenge the decision in court.
This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 12:41 PM.