Newsom includes $33,000 taxpayer-funded portrait of himself in state budget proposal

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2026-27 state budget includes $33,000 in taxpayer funding for an official portrait of himself.

Under Newsom’s proposed budget, the funding is listed as “Governor’s Portrait” and states the money would pay for the “traditional painting of the Governor’s portrait.” The portrait would be displayed in the California State Capitol alongside portraits of previous governors.

The funding would come from California’s General Fund despite the state continuing to face long-term structural budget deficits.

The proposal was met with swift backlash.

“Only in Sacramento would a governor look at struggling families and think, ‘You know what this moment needs? A painting of me,’” Republican State Senator Suzette Valladares of Santa Clarita said.

Republican Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo of Fresno commented, “At least future generations will have a painting to remember who kept spending billions carving a permanent scar through prime Central Valley farmland for a train that will never connect Northern and Southern California.”

California governors have traditionally had portraits displayed in the Capitol after they leave office. The practice started in 1984 with former Governor Jerry Brown’s portrait, which became infamous for its appearance. Legislators reportedly joked it looked as though it was painted with “spilled ketchup and soy sauce.”

The portrait funding comes as Newsom has also proposed a broader $20 million “Governors’ Legacies” fund in his budget, according to the New York Post. The proposal would reportedly allow the administration to distribute money for unspecified projects designed to honor former living governors, just months before Newsom leaves office.

Newsom's overall proposed state budget totals $349.9 billion.

Republican State Senator Brian Jones told the outlet, “This governor’s vanity knows no bounds,” adding that “It’s truly unreal the brazen, egomaniacal behavior he continues to display. But just like infamous dictators erstwhile and elsewhere, all the gilded propaganda and pageantry won’t fool the real Californians suffering everyday under his regime.”

Newsom also hired a dedicated photographer, who is paid $200,000 annually.