Sergey Brin bankrolls $58 million campaign against California wealth tax measure

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Apr 27

Brin's spending helped qualify an anti-wealth tax initiative for the November ballot, with over $58 million contributed and support from fellow billionaires including Brian Armstrong and John Doerr.
Brin left California for Nevada ahead of the tax deadline and now leads a network of ultrawealthy donors injecting over $270 million into state politics, backing candidates like Matt Mahan and Steve Hilton.
The billionaire activism, sparked by a proposed one-time 5% tax on billionaires, has intensified California's political landscape, but skepticism remains about their ability to sway voters or defeat the union-backed tax proposal.

Could California’s billionaire tax backfire, leading to a net loss of $25 billion for the state?

Is the billionaire tax a one-time fix or a permanent shift in California's tax policy?

If the tax fails, what is the backup plan to fill California's $100 billion social services gap?

Why is a Google co-founder spending $60M to fight a tax, citing his family's Soviet past?

What major constitutional hurdles could nullify the billionaire tax before it collects a single dollar?

How could the wealth tax unintentionally harm small business founders and even financial appraisers?