IN SUMMARY:
The tech big spent $10.7 million lobbying the Legislature and the governor between July and September throughout a media authorized battle. He additionally gave elected officers $107,500 in marketing campaign money in a single day in September.
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Google’s funds to affect state authorities rose to just about $11 million between July and September, practically 90 occasions greater than the identical interval final yr, making it the highest-spending lobbyist employer in California within the third quarter.
Its lobbying offensive got here because the tech big waged a fierce battle on the state Capitol in the course of the remaining months of the legislative session over whether or not it must pay media shops to publish its content material.
Google’s lobbying bills have by no means earlier than exceeded $1.3 million in a single quarter, based on state dataand they’re normally a lot smaller. In the course of the first two quarters of 2024, Google spent a median of about $261,000 on lobbying, 41 occasions lower than its $10.7 million blitz this summer season.
The corporate didn’t reply to questions on its lobbying, which final quarter was forward of commonest titans of affect in Sacramento, together with the Western States Petroleum Affiliation, the California Enterprise Roundtable and the California Hospital Affiliation.
Throughout that interval, which included the tip of the legislative session in August and the governor’s invoice signing interval in September, Google concluded a contentious two-year battle over journalism funding.
The search big may have needed to pay tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} or extra yearly beneath the Invoice 886a proposal to require main tech platforms like Google to pay a price or negotiate with California media shops to make use of their work. Offered by the assemblyman Mechas BuffyD-Oakland, the measure handed the Meeting final yr earlier than Wicks I’ll file it to barter instantly with the business.
Nonetheless, in August, introduced an settlement for Google to offer $55 million over the following 5 years for a brand new fund for native newsrooms and $70 million for a man-made intelligence accelerator. Beneath the settlement, the state will even contribute $70 million over 5 years to the newsroom fund, whereas Google will preserve the $10 million in present annual grants the corporate had keen to withdraw if the invoice was handed.
“That agreement was an escape clause for Google,” mentioned the state senator Steve Glazeran Orinda Democrat who was selling one other proposalhanded by the Senate in June, which estimates it might have raised $500 million a yr for California media by charging main tech platforms a mitigation price.
Google needed to step up its strain this summer season to counter the renewed push for journalism funding payments and get a take care of extra favorable phrases, mentioned Glazer, who didn’t help the ultimate deal. “Their spending was a reflection of the cheaper alternative.”
Wicks, who didn’t reply to an interview request, had beforehand known as the deal as one of the best that was attainable.
The hundreds of thousands of {dollars} spent to push Google’s perspective had been largely funneled by way of two different organizations, based on its lobbying disclosure report: The tech big paid $7 million to the Pc and Communications Business Affiliation and $2.75 million to the California Taxpayers Affiliation in the course of the third quarter. The teams posted advertisements on tv and media social communication in opposition to the Wicks and Glazer payments.
Each organizations had already lobbied state officers, however Google’s summer season funds resulted in budgets lots of of occasions bigger than within the spring. Its spending within the third quarter went nearly fully to hiring Washington, D.C.-based promoting corporations, based on its info of revelation.
Google’s document lobbying funds final quarter far exceeded these of different massive tech corporations that will have been pressured to pay beneath Wicks and Glazer’s journalism funding proposals.
Amazon spent greater than $918,000 in the course of the third quarter, its largest lobbying quarter on document and triple the quantity from the identical interval final yr. Purpose, what threatened to delete information posts of his Fb and Instagram platforms if he needed to pay for them, he spent nearly $366,000.
Google did not simply spend cash persuading lawmakers. He additionally contributed a small fortune to the campaigns of 40 elected officers in a single day, they present. marketing campaign finance disclosures. On Sept. 13, two weeks after the Legislature adjourned, the corporate issued checks totaling $107,500 to 39 lawmakers, together with Wicks, in addition to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, greater than a 3rd of the $301,800 it Google has contributed to state campaigns since final January.
Google’s monetary disclosure for the third quarter mentions lobbying the Legislature on greater than 30 payments, in addition to the governor’s workplace and a number of other state companies, with out offering a breakdown of its spending.
One other precedence this summer season was the SB 1047which might have required testing AI fashions on a big scale to find out whether or not they hurt society. Massive tech corporations, together with Google, overtly opposed the regulation and it was finally vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September.
However the senator Scott Wienerthe San Francisco Democrat who pushed the measure, mentioned Google’s lobbying gave the impression to be extra centered on journalism funding laws. Whereas the corporate was a number one voice in opposition to its AI testing invoice, he mentioned, its efforts there gave the impression to be directed away from Capitol Hill.
“This was not a massive wave of activity,” Wiener mentioned. “It was a lot more online and on social media.”
- This text was initially printed in English by CalMatters.
