Steyer Campaign Evades Fine Over Influencer Payments | Fresno News

Tom Steyer’s California gubernatorial campaign dodged penalties after paying social media influencers to promote his message — despite some failing to disclose payments upfront. The state’s new disclosure law, enacted last year, requires transparency for paid online political endorsements. Though initial payments were as low as $10, they later rose to $1,000/month. Officials found the campaign quickly corrected the issue by requiring influencers to add disclosures, and since neither side had prior violations, no fine was issued. Meanwhile, lawmakers are closing a loophole by shifting responsibility for reporting influencer payments from influencers to campaigns themselves — a bill Governor Newsom must act...