00:00:13.560$19 million of taxpayer funds on a New York PR firm to polish California's image.
00:00:21.200The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development awarded PR powerhouse Edelman a contract up to $19 million to burnish the Golden State's reputation, KCRA reported.
00:00:35.400Edelman, which also does work on behalf of mega companies like Dove, Starbucks, eBay, and Heineken,
00:00:40.280will be tasked to combat negative narratives amplified online in partisan media about California
00:00:48.020while promoting the state's economy and tourism.
00:00:51.100The company, considering one of the largest PR firms in the nation, also has offices in L.A. and San Francisco.
00:00:55.920The contract begins on April 6th and will run through then end of the year,
00:01:00.360which nearly coincides with the end of governor's term in 2027.
00:01:03.820The Office of Business and Economic Development, known as GO-Biz,
00:01:07.500posted their request for proposals last month
00:05:04.740He can't run on success without a narrative.
00:05:07.100And you look at the two things they said, economy and tourism.
00:05:10.340So you're going to see we're now the fourth largest, fifth largest economy in the world.
00:05:14.480And look at all the tourists are still coming to Disneyland.
00:05:16.800And look at all the number of people who come to visit California.
00:05:19.560Well, it's also a dirty little secret that sometimes, Pat, they count in the tourist things.
00:05:24.000Like if you and I went back to California and went to a wedding or a funeral, Pat, which, you know, we do from time to time, do you know that they would count us in tourist stats?