Dan Walters: Dana Williamson’s indictment reveals a hidden world of political operatives

Most Californians probably see the Capitol as a place where governors, legislators and other state officials gather to do the public’s business. That’s true, at least superficially.

Elected officeholders come and go, but the Capitol has a permanent substructure of men and women who do the real, if often hidden, business of retail politics. Those in the “community,” as some dub it, constantly circulate among its three pillars — staff on the public payroll, lobbyists for interest groups, and managers of political campaigns.

It’s not uncommon for someone to have portfolios in all three. And as the revolving door opens and closes, it’s difficult to discern when and where one role ends and another begins, or even whether there is, in fact, a difference.

Dana Williamson typifies the species. And her arrest earlier this month on federal criminal charges opens a window into the secretive world of California’s professional political operatives.

The 23-count indictment alleges Williamson — who had been Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff until her abrupt resignation a year ago — conspired with two other figures to siphon money from a dormant political campaign fund maintained by Xavier Becerra, a former congressman, state attorney general and Biden administration cabinet member.

Williamson is also charged with falsifying documents to justify a COVID-era federal business loan, lying to FBI agents and falsely claiming income tax deductions as business expenses — for a lavish vacation and purchases of expensive designer goods.

The two men who were charged with Williamson, Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief deputy in the California Department of Justice, and lobbyist Greg Campbell, have pleaded guilty. But Williamson insists that she is innocent.

It’s the juiciest scandal to hit the Capitol since the FBI’s undercover bribery investigation, dubbed “Shrimpgate,” erupted 37 years ago and sent some legislators and lobbyists to prison.

Among the Capitol’s power players, Williamson has stood near the top, working for three governors, lobbying for various interest groups and running ballot measure campaigns. She is known for a profanity-laced, take-no-prisoners style.

After Williamson was arrested, the question for many Capitol denizens was whether the case would adversely affect Becerra, who is running for governor, and Newsom, who is obviously, if not officially, running for president.

Becerra is a victim but may face questions about his judgment, since he was apparently being fleeced by those he hired.

Newsom’s office says Williamson resigned a year ago after telling him she was under investigation. At the time, he praised her as a dedicated public servant.

If there is something in the case that could harm Newsom, or at least give political rivals some ammunition, it is what happened shortly after Williamson became the governor’s top aide in 2023. According to the indictment, she used the position to intercede in a pending state discrimination suit against one of her lobbying clients, Activision Blizzard, a Santa Monica video game company, and then lied to FBI agents about the case.

In 2022 Janette Wipper, chief counsel of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which brought the case against Activision, was fired. Her assistant, Melanie Proctor, resigned in protest, citing pressure from the governor’s office to settle the case.

Proctor wrote in a public memo that the governor’s office “repeatedly demanded advance notice of litigation strategy and next steps in the litigation” in the case, and the interference “mimicked the interests of Activision’s counsel.”

The Williamson scandal could be a one-and-done incident if her attorney negotiates a plea agreement. Or it could drag out if she insists on a trial and the dirty linen is displayed for all to see, perhaps revealing even more politically embarrassing episodes of backroom maneuvers.

Dan Walters has been a journalist for more than 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. His commentary comes via CalMatters.org, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more, go to calmatters.org/commentary.