California Influencers File Complaint Over Undisclosed Payments From Steyer Campaign

Two political influencers filed a complaint with California's Fair Political Practices Commission alleging that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer's campaign paid social media creators without requiring them to disclose the payments. The complaint, filed by Beatrice Gomberg and Kaitlyn Hennessy, identified several accounts that posted messages supporting Steyer without stating they had been compensated.

Campaign finance records show payments to accounts including one with the handle Zay Dante.

California law adopted in 2023 requires influencers to state when a post is sponsored and to name the payer. Political committees must inform paid creators of the requirement. Violations carry no automatic civil, criminal, or administrative penalties. The commission can seek a court order for compliance and fines of up to $5,000 per instance.

No federal disclosure requirement exists for paid influencer content. Roughly one in five Americans said they regularly obtained news from social media influencers in 2024, according to the Pew Research Center. The share was nearly double among adults ages 18 to 29.

Steyer wrote on Substack that his campaign believes content creators should be paid and that payments had been disclosed in campaign filings. Influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina stated he received $400,000 for work on the campaign.