State’s largest political party of more than 10 million voters officially endorses measure that will make billionaires pay their fair share to keep local hospitals open and healthcare affordable for millions

SAN DIEGO, CA – Last year, Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” gutted funding for healthcare in California in order to pay for more billionaire tax breaks. Those cuts are expected to eliminate healthcare coverage for up to 3.4 million Californians and will potentially double health insurance premiums for millions more. 

Clinics across California are closing, hospitals are laying off workers, and life-saving services are being cut. Working families in California are already seeing their healthcare costs skyrocket, and it’s only getting worse.

Now, the California Democratic Party has officially taken a stand in favor of saving the state from these dire consequences – by endorsing Prop 40, the California Billionaire Tax, which will make California’s approximately 200 billionaires finally pay their fair share.

“This endorsement puts to rest the idea that California democrats are not united by the billionaire tax – they are,” said Dave Regan, President of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. “Polling shows that more than 80% of registered democrats support this critical solution to our healthcare crisis and now the Democratic party of California has officially embraced that strong support through this endorsement.”

The California Democratic Party is the state’s largest political party and includes millions of Californians across the state. Prop 40 is closely aligned with the party’s mission and platform – which includes expanding access to affordable healthcare, protecting workers’ rights, strengthening public education, safeguarding reproductive freedom, and building an economy that works for all Californians. 

The endorsement puts major momentum behind the billionaire tax. Among other considerations, it means that any materials put forth by the California Democratic Party to voters will include the official endorsement of Prop. 40. The endorsement came despite leaders of several Democratic-aligned organizations taking positions that are at odds with the interests and preferences of their members and constituents. Recent polling shows more than 70% of union members and more than 63% of teachers support the billionaire tax. 

“We refuse to accept a future where tens of millions of working families pay the price for tax cuts that benefit 200 billionaires. We are proud to stand alongside California Democrats in fighting for passage of the billionaire tax – Prop 40. We will work together to put patients first. We will ask those who have gained the most from our economy to help preserve the healthcare access, including to emergency services, that every Californian needs and deserves,” said Suzanne Jimenez, the official ballot initiative proponent and Chief of Staff at SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.

As Trump’s massive federal healthcare cuts begin to rip healthcare away from millions of Californians, the California Democratic Party is joining a growing list of organizations and lawmakers supporting Prop 40, which makes more than 200 California billionaires pay a modest, one-time 5% tax to keep local hospitals and ERs open and healthcare affordable for millions of Californians. The tax can also be paid by the billionaires over five years.

Billionaires already pay much lower tax rates than what working families pay out of every paycheck. They insist on paying less and sticking the middle class with the bill. Prop 40 will enact a tax paid ONLY by Californians worth more than $1 billion, a small group of people who together hold $2 trillion in wealth – most of which will never be taxed due to loopholes that favor the ultra-wealthy. 

By voting YES on Prop 40, California voters can raise about $100 billion to replace the healthcare funding Trump and his billionaire donors took from working people to hoard even more wealth. The funds will go to life-saving medical care for seniors, veterans, and families. It will allow millions of Californians to keep their health insurance and not see their premiums skyrocket. It will also help prevent teacher layoffs in our public schools and keep children fed through food assistance programs.

Voters consistently support the California Billionaire Tax by large, double-digit margins. Prop 40 qualified for the ballot after supporters submitted more than 1.6 million signatures from Californians across the state — nearly twice the number required to qualify — making it one of the strongest citizen-led ballot qualification efforts in California history.

Prop 40 is endorsed by hundreds of elected officials, labor unions, and community-based organizations including U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Ro Khanna, Teamsters California, AFSCME California, SEIU-UHW, Committee of Interns and Residents / SEIU, UNITE HERE Local 11, UNITE HERE Local 30, AFT Local 1521, Disability Voices United, Our Revolution California, Oxfam America, Color of Change, and many more. 

More than 400 hospitals statewide have already laid off more than 3,400 healthcare workers, and a second wave of layoffs is expected as funding cuts from Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” hit healthcare providers. Statewide, projections show the cuts could result in the loss of up to 145,000 healthcare jobs, impacting hospitals, clinics, and home care providers. California has already been grappling with a longstanding shortage of healthcare workers, leaving hospitals and clinics stretched thin even before Trump’s cuts.

Without revenue from Prop 40, these federal healthcare cuts are expected to put an estimated 83 California hospitals and clinics at risk of closure. Cuts and closures have already started, impacting communities from Los Angeles to Oakland to Glenn County.  

About Prop 40, the California Billionaire Tax Act

Trump’s “Big, Ugly Bill” slashed funding for healthcare in California to pay for more billionaire tax breaks. These cuts eliminate healthcare coverage for up to 3.4 million Californians and double health insurance premiums for millions more. Prop 40, the California Billionaire Tax Act, will make billionaires finally pay their fair share in taxes to keep local hospitals and ERs open and healthcare affordable for millions of Californians.

Vote YES on Prop 40 to save lives, tax billionaires. 

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Editor’s note: Billionaire tax proponents are available for interview on the status of the campaign and the momentum generated by the California Democratic Party endorsement

Paid for by Yes on 40 – Billionaire Tax Now, Sponsored by Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West.   Committee’s Top Funder  Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West

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