Newsom Rewards Campaign Staffers with City Hall Jobs
Filling the ranks in the Mayor's Office are several young guys who Mayor Newsom calls "superstars" who were part of the inner circle of his gubernatorial campaign -- hires that are likely to cause some controversy during upcoming budget negotiations with the Board of Supervisors. Newsom defends the hires saying that all these campaign staffers are being paid less than their predecessors and are highly qualified, but they are nonetheless all pretty young with no experience in city government.
30-year-old Yashar Hedayat, the son of a wealthy Chicago family who has worked as a lobbyist and donated thousands to various Democratic campaigns, will be coming on as Newsom's deputy chief of staff.
Joaquin Torres, the son of Newsom pal and Democratic Party chairman Art Torres, has been hired as a government affairs assistant.
Nicholas Panagopoulos, who worked on Newsom's campaign since April, has been brough on as community liaison in the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services.
Jason Elliott, who served as Newsom's deputy campaign manager and policy researcher, has been hired to fill the vacant position as the Mayor's policy advisor.
Read more about these four young superstars and what they'll be getting paid in the Chron.