California vs. the tech billionaires

It’s election season, and while most of the national conversation is focused on the midterms and the increasing likelihood that Democrats will take back the House and perhaps even the Senate, in California, the eyes of the tech elite are focused on another target: The ballot measure Proposition 40, aka the billionaire tax.
Prop 40 would enact a one-time 5% wealth tax on the 250 or so billionaires that reside in California, and redirect the funding towards healthcare and education. Predictably, billionaires are furious about the idea; leading opponents include Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who, along with other ultra-wealthy Californians, has spent some $200 million dollars to oppose the measure.
Today, on Blood in the Machine, we’re going to dive into these fights, with the woman who’s at the center of many of them. Lorena Gonzalez is a former state legislator and current president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, and she’s a driving force supporting both Prop 40 and the slate of new laws designed to protect workers from AI.
California Labor Federation (calaborfed.org)
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Articles Mentioned
California just passed the strongest AI labor laws in the US (bloodinthemachine.com/p/california-just-passed…)
California Proposition 40, One-Time Wealth Tax for State-Funded Healthcare, Education, and Food Assistance Programs Initiative (2026) - Ballotpedia (ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_40,_One…))
Paramount completes $111B Warner merger, creating “Skydance” behemoth - Ars Technica (arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/10/paramount-…)
Newsom signs landmark bill aimed at giving lifeline to struggling California newsrooms - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-30/newsom…)
The NO FAKES Act (nofakesact.org)
AI in hiring and firing: California’s No Robo Bosses Act (msn.com/en-us/technology/tech-companies/ai-in-…)
Get the Facts: NO on PROP 40 (votenoon40.org/get-the-facts/#expand-the-tax)
An AI School, With No Teachers, To Open in Chicago This Fall (blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/25/an-ai-elementa…)
The billionaires fight back: Propositions 41 and 42 could kill California’s billionaire tax even if it passes (lapublicpress.org/2026/10/la-elections-2026-pr…)
Billionaire Google Co-Founder Pumps $102 Million Into Fighting California Wealth Tax | Common Dreams (commondreams.org/news/sergey-brin-billionaires…)
California Billionaires Are Spending Big in Costly Wealth-Tax Fight (wsj.com/business/california-billionaire-tax-ba…)
The Blue Wave Could Reshape Politics in the South | The New Republic (newrepublic.com/article/216656/blue-wave-resha…)
$200 million-plus spent fighting and supporting billionaire tax - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-28/200-mi…)
Gavin Newsom backs measure to kill the billionaire tax and ban future wealth taxes (calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/newsom-tax-pro…)
Gavin Newsom opposes California’s $100 billion billionaire tax. The fight may outlast the vote (msn.com/en-us/news/other/gavin-newsom-opposes-…)
Billionaire Tax Explained: What Proposition 40 Would Mean for California (calbudgetcenter.org/resources/billionaire-tax-…)
Google co-founder Sergey Brin spends $102M opposing California Prop. 40 | abc10.com (abc10.com/video/news/politics/google-co-founde…)
California’s ‘carpet-bombed’ wealth tax measure runs into a wall - POLITICO (politico.com/news/2026/10/15/california-wealth…)

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