Some of Gov. Newsom’s major donors received big no-bid contracts and job advancements from the state

About half a dozen companies that made big donations to California Governor Gavin Newsom got special treatment from the state to help it deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Some of these companies got big no-bid contracts, and others had their leaders appointed to high-profile positions. That’s all according to a new investigation from Capital Public Radio.

Experts say no laws appear to have been broken — no quid pro quo. But the overlap between these companies’ donations to the governor and the preferential treatment they seemed to have gotten from the state — that’s bad optics for Newsom, especially as he stares down a recall effort.