Republican congressional candidate and CAL DOGE Director Jenny Rae Le Roux is criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta for failing to crack down on widespread fraud, saying her watchdog group has uncovered multiple cases that state leaders ignored.
CAL DOGE is a group working to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in California launched in early 2026 by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. The organization says it has identified nearly $700 million in waste, fraud, and abuse since its founding.
What the Right Is Saying
"Every day is opposite day when it comes to Gavin Newsom and Rob Bonta," Le Roux told Fox News Digital. "Whatever they say, I generally believe the exact opposite is true and so when Gavin Newsom says that fraud is under control, what that means is that either he's in on it or unwilling to do anything about it."
Le Roux said her group uncovered $370 million in cannabis tax revenue routed through an intermediary and split into smaller grants going to unrelated programs. She pointed to systemic flaws including limited federal prosecution for funds mostly under $1 million.
What the Left Is Saying
Newsom's office pushed back against the criticism, saying enforcement of healthcare fraud falls primarily to federal authorities rather than state agencies. Officials have noted that California's regulatory framework operates within a system where federal oversight plays a significant role in detecting and prosecuting certain types of fraud.
The governor's office has maintained that California has taken action on fraud when jurisdiction allows. Critics of the DOGE-style approach argue that volunteer-led investigations may lack the legal authority and resources needed for sustained enforcement.
What the Numbers Show
CAL DOGE claims to have identified nearly $700 million in waste, fraud, and abuse since its founding 10 weeks prior to the reporting.
Le Roux alleged that Bonta's office billed over 150,000 hours annually pursuing legal action against Trump administration policies, describing this as equivalent to nearly 200 lawyers working full-time for a year.
She cited an estimated $80 billion annually in what she described as fraud, waste, or gross overpayments at the state level.
The Bottom Line
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between state officials and Republican critics over California's approach to detecting and prosecuting fraud. Le Roux is running in the GOP primary for California's 47th Congressional District with a focus on combating fraud.
She emphasized that fraud extends beyond California. "When money flows into California and nothing is checked, that is an American problem, not a California problem," she said.