Photo Courtesy Kevin Sanders for California Globe
At least eight companies partially owned by gov. Gavin Newsom collectively received millions of dollars from the paycheck protection program. That’s according to an ABC 7 analysis in San Francisco.
While data released by the small business administration earlier this year showed the Plumpjack Group received up to $350,000 worth of PPP loans, newly-released data by the SBA indicated Plumpjack businesses – including wineries, bars, and restaurants – received more than eight times that amount at nearly $3 million altogether.
In 2018, governor Newsom placed his ownership interests in the Plumpjack Group into a blind trust. This means he would have no knowledge or role in the company’s business decisions made during his time in office.
The ABC 7 I-team discovered discrepancies between that company’s SBA data and publicly available records that appear to raise questions about how much money some companies received under the program.
ABC 7’s analysis found at least nine companies affiliated with the Plumpjack Group received PPP loans.
