California Super Pac Debuts With $10m From Big Tech

SAN FRANCISCO — A new super PAC with millions of dollars from tech giants Google and Meta has launched to back candidates for the California Legislature.

The initial money for the group, California Leads, comes entirely from Silicon Valley, though its focus will not just be on issues that affect the tech industry.

Instead, the PAC’s leaders say they are trying to identify candidates who avoid partisan spats and are willing to take a “pragmatic” approach to addressing bread-and-butter concerns in Sacramento.

“The stakes couldn’t be higher for California in 2026,” said Nathan Click, the PAC’s spokesperson and a longtime adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Voters across the state are frustrated with politics as usual and are looking for leaders who will focus on real-world solutions rather than ideological fights.”

Also running the PAC are Democratic media strategist Scott Kozar, pollster Dave Metz and legislative strategist Austin Heyworth. They plan to use research, polling and data-driven targeting in deciding which races to get involved in, and have initiated candidate interviews.

Google and Meta seeded the PAC with about $5 million each over the course of last year, and their donations were disclosed this week. Neither commented on their reasons for funding the effort on Tuesday.

The companies won’t have a role in choosing races and other strategic decisions for the PAC, according to Click.

SV Angel, the venture capital firm founded by Democratic megadonor Ron Conway, gave the committee another $100,000 last summer.

Meta has been preparing to deepen its political presence in California for the 2026 cycle. The social media behemoth launched and loaded $20 million into its own separate super PAC last year that will support candidates for state office who favor light-touch AI rules.

Blake Jones contributed to this report.