SACRAMENTO—California State Senate Republican Minority Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) introduced a bill last week to prohibit state departments from approving so-called no-bid contracts to companies that have made substantial donations to the governor within the last 12 months after Facebook, Google, Blue Shield, and other large companies reportedly contributed more than $200 million to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s government efforts in 2021. Senate Bill (SB) 1367, introduced Feb. 18, seeks to address the perception of “pay-to-play,” according to Wilk, stemming from the governor’s “increasing use of secretive no-bid contracting” and the influx of behested payments, which are donations coordinated by elected officials for legislative or charitable purposes. During the pandemic, companies poured millions of dollars to support the governor’s initiatives, including homelessness and a massive COVID-19 public safety campaign, according to a Los Angeles Times report in April 2021. “SB 1367 specifically cracks down on awarding massive no-bid state contracts …