18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com don’t live in California, he says, “I don’t see why that’s an issue. “Content creators, wherever they’re based, have followers in California,” he adds. The blowback reveals the rising power and profitability of content creators in politics. According to a Pew Research poll, one in five Americans regularly gets news on TikTok, rising to more than two in five for those under age 30. With traditional television hemorrhaging viewership and Americans hooked on the infinite scroll, campaigns are increasingly chasing posts. They regularly hold events to court paid and unpaid influencers and sit for video interviews, aided by a new crop of talent agencies and digital media firms that represent influencers and solicit their content. The relationship has contributed to at least one politician’s downfall: After attending a creator meeting for then-gubernatorial hopeful Eric Swalwell last fall, political influencer Arielle Fodor (aka @mrs.frazzled) received a flurry of messages warning her to stay away from him. It prompted her to post videos discussing rumors of his sexual misconduct, she has said. He quit the race after reporters covered several allegations of harassment and assault. “Politics is all content now,” says Alex Stack, a Democratic consultant and former communications staffer for Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Candidates need to be content creators and they need a little online army behind them to get traction.” Roche’s videos about Steyer—some featuring her talking, some simply showing text praising Steyer over mundane videos of her life—have gotten no more than 1,100 views each. They’re posted on accounts with fewer than two dozen followers, a far cry from the millions of Californians Steyer’s TV ad spending blitz is reaching. But they provide something critical for the billionaire candidate who’s funding his own campaign: the impression of grassroots support. In a briefing memo for creators, first reported on by the Sacramento Bee, the campaign’s digital firm tells TikTokers and Instagrammers that the “title of billionaire is his biggest sticking point,” and that the campaign wants to reach California women, Latinos and African Americans. Advertisers covet creators regardless of audience size for their ability to portray a product endorsement as an organic recommendation from a friend. Candidates courting voters are no different. For example, an organization representing California lawyers is paying influencers to promote a ballot measure targeting Uber’s responsibility for sexual assaults by its drivers. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaign for governor has also paid influencers and meme accounts for content boosting him. Instagram users see disclosures on those videos’ descriptions. In the Los Angeles mayor’s race, Karen Bass’ challenger Spencer Pratt is offering money on social media gig platforms to make videos featuring viral-friendly soundbites of him. Serabeth Mullaney, a part-time San Francisco content creator promoting cat treats and AI tools, turned down an offer to make videos boosting Steyer’s campaign because of her opposition to billionaires in politics. The 29-year-old said she gets most of her news from social media so she’s concerned about the seep of paid political ads into influencer content. “Anyone desperate to make that [money], they’re going to do the campaign,” she said. “Whether or not they believe in Tom Steyer, they’re going to post those videos.” The concern mirrors the state Fair Political Practices Commission’s rationale for proposing SB 678, the 2024 transparency law. Before that, campaigns only needed to disclose payment for ads they posted directly; paid content on third-party platforms was largely unregulated. But the FPPC primarily relies on complaints to launch investigations, and violations of the law come with few consequences—no fines or criminal charges for creators or campaigns. The only thing the agency can do is ask a court to force an influencer to disclose payments, but experts say that’s an expensive and time-consuming effort for a fleeting video. State Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, who authored the law, says paid influencers in politics are more prevalent than three years ago and lawmakers should make the requirements more enforceable. “Transparency is like whack-amole,” Umberg says. “Every year there’s a new modality, and so there’s a new way to get around stuff.” Now the gubernatorial candidates and their supporters are engaged in a mass scrutiny of all the posts boosting each other’s campaigns. Critics have also questioned the relationship between Becerra and numerous creators who have boosted his campaign since Swalwell dropped out. The Becerra campaign has insisted it has never paid any content creator for a post. The campaign seeks relationships with creators who are willing to post for free as a blend of campaign volunteer and reporter, says digital strategist Alf Lamont. “Paid influencer campaigns don’t carry the kind of punch that organizing does,” Lamont says. “We want to make sure we’re getting folks who truly believe in it so we don’t face the second-guesses and the ‘paid by’ and the feeling you’re looking at something that’s insincere.” Jordan “Jay” Gonzalez’s posts included lifestyle content, Latino advocacy and even salmon DNA facials before he started creating pro-Becerra videos on multiple platforms in March, a month before the campaign hired him as a full-time social media strategist. Gonzalez has recently been amending his posts with disclosures that he is paid by the campaign, “out of extreme caution so as not to seem disingenuous to my audience.” Opponents point out Gonzalez and another creator who has posted numerous times in Becerra’s favor, Maggie Reed or @mermaidmamamaggie, have previously charged for content. Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign solicited unpaid videos from both of them in the spring, and received quotes from each influencer’s agent of $7,000 to $16,500, emails show. The Villaraigosa campaign confirmed the exchanges. Steyer’s campaign filed a complaint alleging both influencers’ videos were paid for by Becerra’s campaign with no disclosure. Becerra’s campaign has not reported any payments to Reed in campaign finance filings, and Lamont denies paying either creator for content. Gonzalez, in an email, says that he had previously declined a paid offer Far left: Influencer Jordan “Jay” Gonzalez (@_jay_ gonzalez) shows the complaint that the Steyer campaign filed with the FPPC, alleging that their videos are paid for by Becerra’s campaign without required disclosures. Before he started creating pro-Becerra videos in March, Gonzalez’s posts included lifestyle content and treatments like salmon DNA facials. The campaign hired him as a full-time social media strategist. He recently added disclosures to some posts. PLAY continued on page 20
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