Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday joined a rally in Los Angeles to push for California’s controversial wealth tax, which has been opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
“Enough is enough,” Sanders said, according to The Associated Press. “The billionaire class cannot have it all. This nation belongs to all of us.”
The senator touted California’s Billionaire Tax Act, which would charge the state’s 200 billionaires with a one-time 5 percent tax on their net worth to help fund health care programs for middle-class and low-income Californians.
“For these people, enough is never enough,” Sanders told a rally of nearly 2,000 people, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“They are dedicated to accumulating more and more wealth and power … no matter how many low-income and working-class people will die because they no longer have health insurance.”
The wealth tax has divided Newsom and the progressive wing of California’s Democratic Party.
“This will be defeated — there’s no question in my mind,” Newsom said early last month in an interview with The New York Times.
“I’ll do what I have to do to protect the state,” he added.
Brian Brokaw, a longtime Newsom adviser who is leading a political committee opposing the tax, argued the legislation will not fix issues of affordability around health care and education.
“In fact, they would be made worse,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
However, Sanders said the measure will help lift up thousands of low-income Californians.
He argued that the rich believe they have a “divine right” to rule and are “no longer subject” to democratic governance, specifically calling out Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
“These billionaires are going to learn that we are still living in a democratic society where the people have some power,” the Vermont lawmaker said.
The measure has also divided the candidates running to replace Newsom, with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (D) joining GOP candidates Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton in opposition.
“We need ideas that are sound, not just political proposals that sound good,” Mahan said of the tax, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“The only winners in this proposal are the workers and taxpayers of Florida and Texas, who will take our jobs and benefit from the capital and tax revenue California is losing.”
The proposal has also received support from the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, one of the state’s largest unions.
It needs 874,641 signatures before Californians can vote for or against it. Polling conducted last month by the Mellman Group showed that out of 800 likely voters, 48 percent said they supported the proposal.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
