Social media stars are getting paid to take sides in California’s billionaire tax battle
As California decides whether to slap billionaires with a special tax, the Golden State’s swarm of social media stars is chiming in — and increasingly getting paid to influence voters.
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swarm → pay → voters
Unlikely influencers, from foodies to mothers to retirees, are giving their two cents on Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on the assets of the state’s roughly 200 billionaires, to primarily fund healthcare.
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influencers → give → healthcare
They’re also weighing in on other ballot measures created to cancel it.
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They → weigh → it
Campaigns try to team up with and sometimes compensate key content creators, as their endorsement can often hit harder than traditional political ads.
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endorsement → try → ads
Between cheery Instagram videos about budget-friendly trips to a playground, Halloween house and zoo with her kids, Bartley Chavez posted a video opposing Proposition 40 to her more than 47,500 followers.
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Chavez → post → followers
“Look, I’m all for trying new things.
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I → look → things
But when we’re talking about California jobs, our family’s financial future, and the state’s economy, that’s not something I want to experiment with,” she says in the October video.
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she → talk → video
The video’s caption states the campaign opposing Proposition 40 paid her to post.
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campaign → state → her
Getting political online does come with risks.
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Getting → get → risks
In the video’s comments, one Instagram user said they unfollowed Chavez’s account, and another called her a “sell out.”
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another → say → her
Others backed her position.
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Others → back → position
Chavez didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Chavez → respond → comment
Los Angeles author and political influencer Leigh McGowan has built an audience of more than 3.5 million followers on different platforms with her no-nonsense takes on politics and other issues.
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McGowan → build → politics
She was already a supporter of the wealth tax when the Proposition 40 campaign started to pay for some of her posts.
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campaign → start → posts
“No one is punishing the rich.
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one → punish → rich
They are doing just fine,” she said in a recent sponsored video on Instagram.
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she → do → Instagram
“We are simply asking them to pay an outstanding one-time tax that’ll help the rest of us.
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that → ask → us
Campaigns have been paying attention to influencers, especially as younger people turn to them for news, said McGowan, who’s known for ranting in her kitchen.
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who → pay → kitchen
Many people distrust traditional media and want regular people to break down complex topics.
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people → distrust → topics
“We don’t know who to believe anymore, and there are just so many lies out there,” McGowan said in an interview.
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McGowan → know → interview
“The people who take the time to say authentically this is what they believe in, that’s who people believe.
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people → take → who
More than $351 million in political donations has been poured into a high-stakes contest about a proposed wealth tax on the November ballot, making it one of the most costly campaigns in California history.
In California, political ad spending in the 2026 election cycle is projected to get close to $1 billion, more than any other state, according to political advertising intelligence firm AdImpact.
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spending → pour → AdImpact
The majority of that spending is expected to be in broadcast, cable and connected TV.
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majority → expect → broadcast
Roughly $114 million statewide is expected to go to digital platforms such as Facebook, Google, Snapchat and X.
The campaign opposing Proposition 40 has plenty of money to spend on political messaging in what’s become one of the most expensive ballot fights in California’s history.
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what → expect → history
Billionaires such as Google co-founder Sergey Brin have donated millions to Building a Better California, a group funding ads against the wealth tax proposal.
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Billionaires → donate → proposal
More than $350 million has been contributed to fight the billionaire tax and support two propositions — 41 and 42 — that could block it.
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that → contribute → it
Campaign finance forms show how much groups spend on digital media, but they don’t say how much of that goes to influencers.
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much → show → influencers
While the data are limited, campaign leaders and other experts say social media stars are playing a bigger role in how brands and political movements advertise.
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brands → limit → role
“Any modern campaign that wants to win needs to be active in spaces where voters get information — and that’s exactly what the No on 40 coalition is doing,” said Evan Westrup, a spokesman for the coalition opposing Proposition 40.
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Westrup → want → Proposition
Some political influencers broadcast their views independently or talk to campaigns without compensation.
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influencers → broadcast → compensation
Others are paid a few hundred dollars or even up to $30,000 per post, according to an October report from the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Communication Technology Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Others → pay → Pittsburgh
The $293 million spent by California billionaires to oppose Proposition 40 is about 0.07% of their estimated wealth.
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million → spend → wealth
Influencers will post content for political campaigns to make money, but “genuine belief in political issues or candidates can — and often does — coexist with compensation,” the report said.
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report → post → compensation
One Los Angeles influencer, The Speech Prof, who has more than 1.7 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok, said he refused money to stop the billionaire tax.
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he → have → tax
The creator, also known as Professor Chesko, talks about everything from parenting and misogyny to politics.
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creator → know → politics
In September, he posted a viral video in which he says he rejected enough money to pay for his kids’ college funds to oppose the billionaire tax.
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he → post → tax
This month, he posted a new video backing the billionaire tax, noting that the Proposition 40 campaign saw his earlier post and then paid him to make content.
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campaign → post → content
“It’s not nearly as much, but they’re a healthcare union and not corporate oligarchs.
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they → ’ → ?
Plus I already said where I stand for free,” he said in the October video, which discloses the Proposition 40 campaign paid him for the post.
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campaign → say → post
Professor Chesko didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Chesko → respond → comment
…and 26 more, not listed.
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