Who has Newsom's ear as he weighs a White House run?

"Gov. Gavin Newsom had a scheduled call with Mark Lashier, the chief executive of Phillips 66 months after the oil giant announced it would shut down a major Los Angeles refinery following the governor's signing of new regulations on oil and gas facilities as he pushed to end California's reliance on fossil fuels. Within days, Newsom's administration pivoted. State officials unveiled a plan to boost oil drilling and imports in California and put on hold a refinery profit cap the governor had previously championed."

"The call, scheduled for 15 minutes, was one of dozens of meetings Newsom held last year with interest groups, business leaders, political donors and policymakers, according to copies of his official calendars for the first half of 2025 obtained by Bay Area News Group through a public records request. The documents, which the governor's office had previously declined to release to journalists, offer a rare window into who has had direct access to California's most powerful elected official as he navigates high-stakes policy fights."

"We want to know who he's talking to, and it's always good to see who is influencing the government to do what, said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College. Governors and their staff, he noted, routinely meet with a wide range of interest groups. But the records raise questions about whose voices are being heard most often and whose are not."

A June call between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Phillips 66 leadership occurred months after the company announced plans to close a major Los Angeles refinery following new state oil and gas regulations. Within days, the administration announced a policy pivot to boost oil drilling and imports and put a refinery profit cap on hold. Newsom characterized the change as necessary to keep refineries open and stabilize gas prices while pursuing a green-growth agenda. Official calendars for the first half of 2025 show dozens of short meetings with interest groups, business leaders, donors and policymakers. The governor's office said it meets a broad range of stakeholders and declined to discuss specific conversations.

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