2026 Mid-Term Elections

[Jarhyn]

Bernie Sanders and Gavin Newsom become adversaries over push to tax California billionaires

As national Democrats search for a unifying theme ahead of the fall’s midterm elections, a California proposal to levy a hefty tax on billionaires is turning some of the party’s leading figures into adversaries just when Democrats can least afford division from within.

Bernie Sanders will be in Los Angeles campaigning Wednesday for the tax proposal that has the Silicon Valley in an uproar, with tech titans are threatening to leave the state. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is among its outspoken opponents, warning that it could leave government finances in crisis and put the state at a competitive disadvantage nationally.

I'm not opposed to what Bernie does. I am often opposed to when he does it.
This is when standing on principle is foolhardy.

But I suppose the fault ultimately lies with the originators of the proposal: Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's Community Health, and Suzanne Jimenez of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW).

Something tells me this is like some American threatening to move to Europe if the election doesn't go their way.

Some can and do try to leave, until they realize Europe has most of the same problems with racists and xenophobes, but most end up gearing up to do it and the price tag and the tradeoffs can't really justify it, and even then, they are in an environment that is going to be vaguely hostile to their existence.

As a result, even those serious about moving and who undergo the expense end up coming back anyway.

I seriously doubt the resolve any of those assholes has to actually relocate, given how much they spent the first time to locate in California and to move all their employees there.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Didn’t Elon try to move Tesla to Texas? I think his business HQ went but the Silicon Valley engineers didn’t want to leave California for Texas so he still has substantial presence in the Bay Area, including the engineering HQ in Palo Alto.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Right now I don’t trust the government to responsibly utilize taxpayer money so I would not support tax raises of any kind.

 

[Jarhyn]

Right now I don’t trust the government to responsibly utilize taxpayer money so I would not support tax raises of any kind.

I don't trust the federal government. I trust the California government slightly more than that. I trust the Minnesota government to tax me quite a lot and for good reasons (that snow won't plow itself).

 

[Shadowy Man]

Right now I don’t trust the government to responsibly utilize taxpayer money so I would not support tax raises of any kind.

I don't trust the federal government. I trust the California government slightly more than that. I trust the Minnesota government to tax me quite a lot and for good reasons (that snow won't plow itself).

Yeah, sorry. When I saw Bernie Sanders being referenced I didn’t realize this is about a California tax. I usually read the articles linked but this time I was too quick to react.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Bernie Sanders and Gavin Newsom become adversaries over push to tax California billionaires

As national Democrats search for a unifying theme ahead of the fall’s midterm elections, a California proposal to levy a hefty tax on billionaires is turning some of the party’s leading figures into adversaries just when Democrats can least afford division from within.

Bernie Sanders will be in Los Angeles campaigning Wednesday for the tax proposal that has the Silicon Valley in an uproar, with tech titans are threatening to leave the state. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is among its outspoken opponents, warning that it could leave government finances in crisis and put the state at a competitive disadvantage nationally.

I'm not opposed to what Bernie does. I am often opposed to when he does it.
This is when standing on principle is foolhardy.

But I suppose the fault ultimately lies with the originators of the proposal: Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's Community Health, and Suzanne Jimenez of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW).

Something tells me this is like some American threatening to move to Europe if the election doesn't go their way.

Some can and do try to leave, until they realize Europe has most of the same problems with racists and xenophobes, but most end up gearing up to do it and the price tag and the tradeoffs can't really justify it, and even then, they are in an environment that is going to be vaguely hostile to their existence.

As a result, even those serious about moving and who undergo the expense end up coming back anyway.

I seriously doubt the resolve any of those assholes has to actually relocate, given how much they spent the first time to locate in California and to move all their employees there.

I consider Silicon Valley to be the cradle of high tech innovation and where networking and collaboration need to take place. This gives it the perception of where one needs to be if there is still any value placed on face to face interaction in these regards.
On the other hand nothing changes minds like the high cost of living/doing business. California politicians should not take this for granted. There could be a tipping point in which employers and employees see someplace like Austin as an alternative. This tipping point could come fast if by chance Texas turned blue.

 

[Gospel]

Right now I don’t trust the government to responsibly utilize taxpayer money so I would not support tax raises of any kind.

I don't trust the federal government. I trust the California government slightly more than that. I trust the Minnesota government to tax me quite a lot and for good reasons (that snow won't plow itself).

Whew! Close one. Good thing states have constitutional rights and aren’t just Hong Kong with better marketing. Otherwise every time the White House changes hands we’d be doing full seasonal rebrands. California would be required to install oil rigs in private swimming pools and Texas would have mandatory yoga and compost audits.

 

[Elixir]

There could be a tipping point in which employers and employees see someplace like Austin as an alternative.

Let it be so!
If it craters CA home prices badly enough, I might move back to Santa Barbara. It’s not Santa Monica, but that’s a good thing IMO.

 

[Tigers!]

Seriously? It's more than fifteen months to election day.

Come back in fourteen and a half months.

In the US, everything is political now. It's an indicator of the accelerating decline of the country.

I have following US politics off and on (more on now than off) since 1980.
Its always been about politics. Back then you tried to hide it and were more polite ( ). Now you don't even try to be polite anymore.

 

[TV and credit cards]

There could be a tipping point in which employers and employees see someplace like Austin as an alternative.

Let it be so!
If it craters CA home prices badly enough, I might move back to Santa Barbara. It’s not Santa Monica, but that’s a good thing IMO.

I was just watching a YouTube that was shot in Santa Ynez. Beautiful but even the low end of the market isn't low enough for the likes of me. Ojai has a couple dumps for under 1M.

 

[Derec]

Bernie Sanders and Gavin Newsom become adversaries over push to tax California billionaires

This idea of a one-time confiscation of some people's wealth is among the stupidest proposals for a tax reform I have seen. But some people can't look past the "tax the billionaires more" mantra, without thinking of any details or unintended consequences.

The proposal seems to be even worse than it would appear at first glance.

The Proposed California Wealth Tax Is Far Higher than 5 Percent

 

[bilby]

Something tells me this is like some American threatening to move to Europe if the election doesn't go their way.

Some can and do try to leave, until they realize Europe has most of the same problems with racists and xenophobes, but most end up gearing up to do it and the price tag and the tradeoffs can't really justify it, and even then, they are in an environment that is going to be vaguely hostile to their existence.

As a result, even those serious about moving and who undergo the expense end up coming back anyway.

I seriously doubt the resolve any of those assholes has to actually relocate, given how much they spent the first time to locate in California and to move all their employees there.

Emigration requires more than just dislike of the government if it is going to work, an immigrant needs directly personal motives, or they will almost always bail out and go home.

If the government is actually trying to kill or incarcerate you, personally, that is usually enough; But the mere threat that they might be preparing to target people like you, often isn't.

History tells us that most people generally don't try to flee until it is too late. It's hard to believe that it could be your door that will be next to get kicked in at 2am by the State Security Police, until it actually happens - and at that point, you're screwed.

And my experience as an immigrant says that broad government policy is very low down the priority list, although its directly personal consequences (on things like your own employment prospects) might be an important contributor.

If you flee to Canada or Europe, you need to line up a job before you go, or at least go to some place where your talents are in demand; And you need at least a couple of good, trustworthy friends who are either locals, or have been there a long time, to show you the ropes.

It's also foolhardy to go somewhere where you are not fluent in the local language, unless you are a very quick and able learner of foreign languages.

And of course there are assholes everywhere, so if you plan is to escape your asshole neighbours, it's gonna fail - you will just be replacing them with different asshole neighbours, who also hate you because you are an immigrant.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Bernie Sanders and Gavin Newsom become adversaries over push to tax California billionaires

This idea of a one-time confiscation of some people's wealth is among the stupidest proposals for a tax reform I have seen. But some people can't look past the "tax the billionaires more" mantra, without thinking of any details or unintended consequences.

The proposal seems to be even worse than it would appear at first glance.

The Proposed California Wealth Tax Is Far Higher than 5 Percent

Frightening adjectives in the intro leads me to believe the article is less than objective.

Of the over 200 billionaires in California, only a handful relocated prior to the Jan 1st deadline to avoid the tax. So, the overwhelming majority seem to be fine with it. But not you.

From Google search:

Sergey Brin (Google): While his residency status has been more widely debated, reports indicate he transferred or terminated 15 California-based LLCs overseeing his investments in the ten days before Christmas 2025.

15 LLCs to manage his investments. I weep for Sergey.

 

[Elixir]

There could be a tipping point in which employers and employees see someplace like Austin as an alternative.

Let it be so!
If it craters CA home prices badly enough, I might move back to Santa Barbara. It’s not Santa Monica, but that’s a good thing IMO.

I was just watching a YouTube that was shot in Santa Ynez. Beautiful but even the low end of the market isn't low enough for the likes of me. Ojai has a couple dumps for under 1M.

I went to school in Ojai for two years. It was a hick town in the 60s.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Seriously? It's more than fifteen months to election day.

Come back in fourteen and a half months.

In the US, everything is political now. It's an indicator of the accelerating decline of the country.

I have following US politics off and on (more on now than off) since 1980.
Its always been about politics. Back then you tried to hide it and were more polite ( ). Now you don't even try to be polite anymore.

Yeah, you don't come across as someone that has followed it well. The discourse certainly has gotten more toxic, but you have this tendency to file everything under false equivalences.

 

[thebeave]

There could be a tipping point in which employers and employees see someplace like Austin as an alternative.

Let it be so!
If it craters CA home prices badly enough, I might move back to Santa Barbara. It’s not Santa Monica, but that’s a good thing IMO.

I was just watching a YouTube that was shot in Santa Ynez. Beautiful but even the low end of the market isn't low enough for the likes of me. Ojai has a couple dumps for under 1M.

I went to school in Ojai for two years. It was a hick town in the 60s.

Did you ever bump into Steve Austin when you were there?

 

[Elixir]

I went to school in Ojai for two years. It was a hick town in the 60s.

Did you ever bump into Steve Austin when you were there?

Back in those days, one didn’t simply “bump into” anything that cost six million dollars!

 

[Jarhyn]

I went to school in Ojai for two years. It was a hick town in the 60s.

Did you ever bump into Steve Austin when you were there?

Back in those days, one didn’t simply “bump into” anything that cost six million dollars!

IDK, if I knew something that cost 6 million dollars and it belonged to an asshole, I would "accidentally" that shit till the cows came home.

 

[Derec]

I trust the Minnesota government to tax me quite a lot and for good reasons (that snow won't plow itself).

You mean, the Somali fraud schemes won't fund themselves?

 

[Derec]

Frightening adjectives in the intro leads me to believe the article is less than objective.

That does not mean their analysis is not correct.

Of the over 200 billionaires in California, only a handful relocated prior to the Jan 1st deadline to avoid the tax. So, the overwhelming majority seem to be fine with it. But not you.

Not relocating != being fine with a stupid tax proposal.

First of all, it's not been passed (yet). Even the Dem governor is against it. And even if it passes, it will probably be challenged in the courts.

There are ways to tax the rich more. Introducing a couple of more brackets for income taxes with higher percentages for very high earners, for example. Or closing some loopholes. But this proposal seems very stupid to me, which is why even people like Newsom oppose it.

Also, any efforts to increase taxes for the rich should not just affect billionaires. There simply aren't enough of them to make that much of a difference. But there are many people making high six figures, and even seven figures. Have new marginal tax brackets for >$200k, >$500k and >$1M incomes, for example.