Gavin Newsom is hiring a New York PR firm to sell California — ahead of his likely presidential bid — at a cost to taxpayers of $19 million . Why does California need outside help? After all, as Newsom likes to remind us, the state is one of the largest economies on earth.  But the governor’s actual record could be a problem for his presidential bid. Hence his familiar solution: To portray California as a vibrant economy , and to counter “myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric.”