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After the momentous Silicon Valley Bank closure was brought to light last Friday, website California Globe on Sunday reported that a suspicious tie between SVB and California's First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom existed.
John China, SVB Executive of Capital sits on theÊboard of Jennifer Siebel Newsom'sÊCalifornia Partners Project, a non-profit left-wing group set up to push California businesses in a "woke' direction. Their website said, "California Partners Project champions gender equity across the state and ensures our state's media and technology industries are a force for good in the lives of all children." Hmmm.
Former Acting Director of National Intelligence, Ric Grenell took to Twitter asking important questions onÊCalifornia's First Lady's relationship to the SVB leadership: "Did she get involved at all? What did they say to her in the lead up to the collapse?" Others have wondered the very same thing, including Open the Books, a web site that demands and pushes for transparency in politics.
By Monday,ÊOpen the Books, found even deeper ties between Silicon Valley Bank and the Newsom's. TheÊSilicon Valley Bank gave $100,000 "Behested" gift to the Newsom's nonprofit in 2021. These gifts are so intertwined with the Newsom's that they are listed as a matter of California ethics law on a state government website, California Fair Political Practices Commission.
All nonprofit donors are listed on the state website if they are "behested" gifts. The term "behested"Êmeans "at the request, suggestion, or solicitation of, or made in cooperation, consultation, coordination or concert with the public official." And get this, in this particular case it was the governor who "behested" the SVB $100,000 gift. Hmmm.
Governor Newsom "behested" but the mandatory-state-disclosed conflict-of-interest listing also names his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. That's because, Mrs. Newsom is also a public official, the first ever "First Partner." Her public duties include running the Office of First Partner which was created by the governor shortly after inauguration. Since 2019, the governor allocated nine staffers and nearly $5 million in taxpayer funds for his wife's office.
And SVB along with its executives played a major role in the Newsom nonprofit, the California Partners Project, since it was first set up. The President of Silicon Valley Capital Ð the investment banking arm of the bank Ð is John China. Mr. China is a 27-year SVB veteran. He's also a founding board member of the Newsom nonprofit and to this day still appears on its website.
The California Partners Project's first board chair, Elizabeth Gore, was also connected to SVB. Her company, Hello Alice, which connects entrepreneurs to resources to grow their companies, received funding from SVB. John China serves on the board of Hello Alice. China and his group were a primary funder to the tech startups that we've been hearing about in the news.
Open the Books says the following, "The California Partners Project was founded to push Jennifer Siebel Newsom's ÔFirst Partner' public policy agenda. As a founding member, the Silicon Valley Bank played a major role. Their executive, John China was on the founding board and the bank gave a $100,000 gift."
What's also notable is that Ann O'Leary is also on theÊCalifornia Partners Project board. O'LearyÊwas Governor Newsom's Chief of Staff and co-chair of the Governor's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.
Then Open the Books finishes by saying, "Further investigations should be conducted into how SVB might have leveraged its funding and influence on behalf of the Newsom administration, and if those decisions put its financial security at risk." There will be more to come, I'm sure.
As I say, the bank collapse is only the latest in the Gavin Newsom story. Remember, Newsome is a member of the four family elitist ruling class that has controlled California politics for more than 80 years. The infamous four are the Gettys, the Newsoms, the Browns, and the Pelosis. Four families intertwined, getting filthy rich and ever more powerful. You can read all the gory details in Dan Walters' column from 2019 at Calmatters.org.
Seems that in California corruption is all in the family.
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