Gov. Gavin Newsom is being ripped by Californians after a new book claimed he secretly financed a nearly $100,000 statue of himself in the San Francisco City Hall. The details of the Democratâs project were revealed in a new book by Jedd McFatter and Susan Crabtree called Foolâs Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All. The book claims that Newsom used âbehested paymentsâ to erect the monument. These payments are donations made at the request of an elected officialâi.e., Newsomâfor a legislative, governmental or charitable purpose. This âpurpose,â it turns out, was to memorialize Newsomâs time as mayor by constructing his image in an attractive bronze bust. Newsom played dumb when it was created, calling it âa strange thingâ and not correcting newspapers that reported his supporters paid for it with private funds. Now, the California masses are posting their frustrations on X, blasting Newsom for the âmost on-brand thing imaginableâ and calling him a narcissist. One X user said: âWhile California spirals into chaos with rampant crime, homelessness, and failing infrastructure, Newsom is busy commissioning statues of himself like some wannabe dictator.â The Daily Beast has reached out to Newsom for comment.