Bernie Sanders Slammed Google Co-Founder for Spending Millions to Stop California's Billionaire Tax Propo

Sanders Targets Google Co-Founder

“If California passes its one-time 5% wealth tax, he would owe $14 billion and still be worth $270 billion,” Sanders said. “So what is he doing? Spending $100 million to defeat the proposal.

The Big Divide

The campaign is led by the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 2 million workers in more than 100 job types across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

The union says the tax is needed to make up for large cuts to federal Medicaid and food assistance programs that were recently signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Dave Regan, the president of the union, said the effort has grown into a “national campaign,” as part of a wider push to reach money "hoarded outside of the tax system,” according to Politico.

California Governor Gavin Newsom strongly opposed the tax, arguing that it could prompt wealthy residents and capital to leave California.

The California Democratic Party, meanwhile, has endorsed the November ballot measure to tax billionaires’ wealth.

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