Aaron Ford’s Big Paramount Mistake

By Albert Mack 

Here in the Silver State, we have an incredible economic story to tell. In the last 10 years, our economy has nearly doubled in dollar size. Between 2019 and 2025, we’ve seen a massive 53% increase in business applications. That success has come as a result of good governance, a hard-working populace, and an entrepreneurial spirit. 

Our message to the rest of the country and the world has been simple: “Nevada is open for business.” Unfortunately, our Attorney General Aaron Ford seems determined to hang a California-style “Closed for Business” sign in the window.  

As someone who is now the 4th generation building businesses, growing the economy and opportunity in our great state, I have been deeply concerned about Ford’s decision to join California’s highly controversial, politically charged lawsuit to block the Paramount merger. 

I believe Attorney General Ford’s decision to ride in the sidecar of California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s political crusade could hurt Nevada jobs, businesses, and taxpayers, while presenting absolutely no upside for the people of Nevada. Let’s not forget that the last major lawsuit AG Bonta joined was to stop JetBlue and Spirit Airlines from merging which resulted in Spirit Airlines going bankrupt and thousands of employees losing their jobs. 

One of Nevada’s great business success stories is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). What started as a struggling combat sports promotion has become a global sports powerhouse deeply identified with Nevada, bringing in tremendous economic activity, events, tourism, and jobs across multiple industries. Paramount’s $7.8 billion media rights agreement with UFC gives the company a clear stake in our homegrown business. A single UFC production supports Nevada jobs and millions of spending on in-state labor, catering, rental, hotels, and local services. 

The merger also represents incredible opportunities for Vegas-based businesses to reach larger audiences. As of the last fiscal quarter, Paramount+ hit 78.9 million subscribers, while Warner Brothers Discovery reported 131.6 million subscribers. More subscribers and more eyeballs can mean more events, more production, more money flowing into Nevada, and more jobs and opportunity. 

And that’s far from the end of the story. Paramount is supporting the development of an entire “Top Gun Vegas” attraction near the strip, and other investments and projects that could benefit our state.

This is not just a Republican v. Democrat issue. I recently spoke with my good friend, Tommy White, a Democrat and Business Manager for the Laborers Local 872. He told me, “Ford’s decision to join California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s lawsuit against Paramount raises a basic question for Nevada: Why is Nevada helping California pursue a controversial, politically-charged legal crusade that could come at the expense of Nevada jobs, investment, taxpayers, and one of Las Vegas’s most successful homegrown businesses, UFC? This lawsuit risks critical investment and job creation around our state. We want the studios to come here and provide an industry that will put thousands of blue-collar workers on the job for years to come, why would Ford threaten that especially when he’s running for governor on economy and growth?” It makes no sense, and Nevadans deserve a serious explanation from our Attorney General.

So what would the motivation be? Our Attorney General would only join in such an attack against a company investing so much in our state for political reasons. Why else would our Attorney General try to hurt an industry rooted right here in Las Vegas? We should be encouraging more investment in sports and entertainment because we have seen the incredible value it creates for workers up and down the economic ladder across Nevada.

The other major risk of Ford’s decision to join the lawsuit is the potential financial liability. Paramount has moved to require states involved in this lawsuit to foot a $1.88 billion bond to cover losses and financial damage attributed to blocking the merger.  Depending on how the court rules and how any bond obligation is allocated, Nevada taxpayers could face significant financial exposure. Has our Attorney General adequately considered the risks of his lawsuit to the people he was elected to represent? Has he made any attempt to explain the risks to his constituents?

Meanwhile, the Attorney General of California has been doing countless interviews and using the lawsuit to burnish his own far-left political profile. Is helping Rob Bonta become the future Governor of California more important to our Attorney General than billions in economic investment and the thousands of jobs that come as a result? Aaron Ford is actively volunteering to help California attack a key Nevada company.

Nevadans didn’t elect Aaron Ford to gamble with their money and livelihoods. If Ford wants to make billion-dollar bets on his California friend’s political future, there are plenty of casinos on the strip where he can do that with his own cash. 

Nevada is an incredible place, but we also have our challenges. The job is far from done when it comes to fentanyl trafficking, human trafficking, organized crime, and child exploitation. Nevada is still losing hundreds of people every year to fentanyl and synthetic opioids. And while our Sheriff, Kevin McMahill, has been doing a sensational job combatting these things and trying to improve the lives of Nevadans, the Attorney General is focused on politics. Ford’s office should be providing more resources to address those problems. Aaron Ford should be focused on serving Nevadans, not trying to import the worst of California’s failed politics.

California led the nation in net business departures in the latest federal data. Nevada should be competing for the businesses fleeing California, not importing the policies that helped drive them out.

Speak Up, Nevada! What’s on Your Mind? Send us your opinion!

Got the inside scoop on something happening in Nevada? Or the country? Do you have thoughts about life in Nevada that are too good to keep to yourself? Whether it’s a hot take on our politics, crime, education, or even the secret to surviving our summers, we’re all ears! Swing them our way at editor@thenevadaglobe.com. Come on, give us the scoop on what makes Nevada tick—or what ticks you off. Let’s make some noise and have some fun with it!