16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 13-19, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com At Odds California Democrats defy Newsom, back billionaire tax on the November ballot. By Maya C. Miller and Jeanne Kuang FORUM California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, opposes the billionaire tax on voters’ ballots this November. So does Xavier Becerra, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate widely favored to succeed him. That didn’t stop the state Democratic Party from narrowly endorsing it. Proposition 40 would generate an estimated $100 billion by levying a one-time 5% tax on the state’s more than 200 billionaires. The bulk of the proceeds would go toward backfilling federal cuts to the state’s expansive low-income health program, Medi-Cal. The idea has sparked controversy ever since a health care workers’ union proposed it late last year, prompting tech billionaires like Google co-founder Sergey Brin to move his business holdings out-ofstate and pump millions of dollars into political committees to kill it. After a contentious endorsement vote among the California Democratic Party’s top statewide activists and officials over the weekend, it’s shaping up to be the latest intra-Democratic fight exposing deep party divisions over November’s ballot. “This is not a kumbaya measure,” said Nancy Tung, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, who voted against the endorsement. “There are very serious disagreements among Democrats and Democratic institutions that are opposed to each other over the measure.” After the vote, Dave Regan, president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, released a statement saying the “endorsement puts to rest the idea that California Democrats are not united by the billionaire tax—they are.” But undecided liberal voters may be confused to see the party pitted against some of its highest-profile leaders. In addition to Newsom and Becerra, doctors’ and primary care providers’ associations oppose the billionaire tax, along with a variety of Democraticaligned political powerhouses like Planned Parenthood. Several labor unions are opposed. The powerful, 750,000-member SEIU California last week chose not to take a position. Opponents worry the tax would drive the wealthy out of the state, depriving California of both income tax revenue and spending. California’s progressive income tax system means its revenues are particularly dependent on the fortunes of the wealthy. Some interest groups are opposed, too, because the measure primarily dedicates its revenues toward a single state program: health care. The No campaign downplayed the party’s endorsement, pointing to the party’s 2024 opposition to Prop. 36, a crime measure which nonetheless passed overwhelmingly, and its support for Prop. 32, a minimum wage hike which failed. Newsom, Becerra, California Teachers Association, California Professional Firefighters, Planned Parenthood and others are against Prop. 40 “because it’s bad for our budget, bad for our economy, and bad for our future,” the campaign said in a statement. Maya C. Miller and Jeanne Kuang cover politics at CalMatters, where this story first appeared. OPINION “This is not a kumbaya measure.” 2160 CALIFORNIA AVE, SAND CITY, CA | CAFFÈBYROSINES.COM | (831) 291-5182 MON-FRI 6:30AM-7PM | SAT & SUN 7:30AM-7PM We’d Love Your Vote! Best in Sand City World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay August Lunch Event “The United States Constitution and Foreign Policy” Tuesday, August 25th, 2026 Dr. Richard Kezirian Panetta Institute The war in Iran demonstrates how far the United States has come from any semblance of enforcing checks and balances as to war powers. The Constitution requires two branches of government to be involved, Congress and the president. Early in American history, the Supreme Court also decided cases involving war powers. Today, any court challenge to the president’s waging war without approval surely would be dismissed as a “political question.” Meanwhile, every president since Harry Truman has authorized the use of military force overseas without declarations of war by Congress. Richard Kezirian will discuss the historical evolution of this story as well as highlighting aspects of constitutional history relevant today. www.wacmb.org or call (831) 643-1855 11:30am Registration • 12pm Lunch • 12:45pm Program Reservations Required • Registration closes on Tuesday, August 18th, 2026 $50 for members • $65 for guests - WACMB will accept auditors to this event Hilton Garden Inn - Big Sur Room 1000 Aguajito Road, Monterey Visit our website www.wacmb.org for information and reservations
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