Photo via New York Post

California billionaire tax draws majority support in new poll — but there’s a big catch

Read the original at New York Post ↗
Cite

Gaus, A. (2026, September 16). California billionaire tax draws majority support in new poll — but there’s a big catch. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/us-news/california-billionaire-tax-draws-majority-support-in-new-poll/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-16 · by Annie Gaus

Quick Summary

A new poll shows that likely California voters support Proposition 40, which proposes a 5% one-time tax on the total wealth of billionaires in the state, with 52% in favor and 46% against. However, the poll also reveals significant backing for two "poison pill" measures, Prop. 41 and Prop. 42, funded by Sergey Brin, which could nullify key parts of Proposition 40 if they receive more votes. These findings highlight potential challenges for proponents of the billionaire tax, as supporters of the countermeasures lead in voter preference according to the survey conducted between September 4-10.
Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A recent Public Policy Institute of California survey found that 52% of likely voters support Proposition 40, a proposed one-time tax on billionaires’ total wealth at a rate of 5%. However, the same poll revealed significant backing for two competing propositions, Prop. 41 and Prop. 42, which are funded by Google co-founder Sergey Brin and aim to nullify key parts of Proposition 40 if they receive more votes. These "poison pill" measures have garnered support from 51% (for Prop. 41) and 54% (for Prop. 42) of voters, posing a significant challenge for proponents of the billionaire tax. Mark Baldassare, director of PPIC’s statewide survey, noted that supporters of Proposition 40 must address the growing support for these rival measures.

Written for “California Billionaire Tax Poll” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 California Billionaire Tax Poll
Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 20% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles cover different polls about distinct issues: one on a billionaire tax measure and the other on the governor's race.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
20%
3 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16017 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Annie Gaus
23 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Hankey employees around 2,000 people in Southern California, telling Forbes in January his HQ will stay in LA for now.
🔮 “If there was no squatter, it would sell for even more,” Lee told The California Post.
🔮 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg held detailed negotiations with the tech giant’s board of directors about moving out of California if the state passes Prop. 40, a 5% wealth tax on billionaires — which could force him to liquidate huge chunks of stock, according to a new financial filing.
🔮 28 is what we could charge in a week,” First Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said on X Monday.
🔮 The district attorney’s office has yet to say if and when charges will be filed against Swalwell.
🔮 San Francisco families will now be guaranteed a spot at neighborhood public elementary schools following a historic vote to scrap its unpredictable, lottery-based system that drove parents crazy — even driving some away from the district entirely.
🔮 “Only travel that is pre‑approved, within contract scope and consistent with state regulations will be eligible for reimbursement,” Contreras said.
🔮 A new California healthcare tax that’s expected to jack up family premiums by hundreds of dollars annually isn’t even legal, according to a group of doctors and insurance firms.
🔮 When asked about his stance on the death penalty following the Pike debacle, a Becerra campaign spokesperson referred the California Post Thursday to a tweet from May where he praised Gov. Gavin Newsom’s moratorium on executions.
🔮 The magazine piece — in which Newsom compared himself to Bill Clinton and claimed he’s written “36 pages of ideas” on national priorities — noted that investigators may be looking into money that was piped from a Sonoma County native tribe to his wife’s gender-focused nonprofit.
Also by Annie Gaus
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 23 articles by Annie Gaus →

Topics

California PPIC Prop. 41 Prop. 42 Proposition 40

Subjects

California GPE · 3× PPIC ORG · 2× Gavin Newsom PERSON · 1× Google ORG · 1× Mark Baldassare PERSON · 1× Public Policy Institute ORG · 1× SEIU ORG · 1× SEIU-UHW ORG · 1× Sergey Brin PERSON · 1× the Mercury News ORG · 1×

Narrative

Prop. 41, holding a narrow lead with 51% in the poll, would increase audits of new taxpayer-funded programs and also includes a provision that would block the billionaire tax. “The supporters of Prop. 40 have to think about and perhaps do something about the fact that so many people are supporting 41 and 42,” Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s statewide survey director, told the Mercury News in an interview.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17
🔮 But a similar percentage of voters were in favor of two “poison pill” measures that would nullify key parts of the billionaire tax if they receive more votes, the poll found.

Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)

California voters favor the billionaire tax that’s on the November ballot, according to a new poll — but there are pitfalls ahead for the controversial measure that’s spurred some of the ultra-wealthy to take their business elsewhere. uncertain
that → favor → business
Fifty-two percent of likely voters said they support Proposition 40, the proposed 5% one-time tax on the total wealth of billionaires in the state, according to a Public Policy Institute survey of 1,103 California voters about 14 measures on the November ballot. uncertain
they → say → ballot
Forty-six percent were against, while 2% said they didn’t know. asserted
they → say → ?
But a similar percentage of voters were in favor of two “poison pill” measures that would nullify key parts of the billionaire tax if they receive more votes, the poll found. asserted
poll → nullify → votes
Both of those measures, Prop. 41 and Prop. 42, were funded by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who has spent more than $100 million on a handful of initiatives meant to address taxes, governance reform and building rules — and kill the billionaire tax in the process. asserted
who → fund → process
Prop. 42, which leads with 54% voicing support in the poll would prohibit new taxes on personal property excluding real estate, such as retirement accounts, intellectual property and financial assets. asserted
which → lead → accounts
If the measure wins more votes, it would prevent the billionaire tax from taking effect. asserted
it → win → effect
Prop. 41, holding a narrow lead with 51% in the poll, would increase audits of new taxpayer-funded programs and also includes a provision that would block the billionaire tax. “The supporters of Prop. 40 have to think about and perhaps do something about the fact that so many people are supporting 41 and 42,” Mark Baldassare, PPIC’s statewide survey director, told the Mercury News in an interview. asserted
Baldassare → hold → interview
“Therein lies the problem when you have measures and countermeasures on the ballot.” asserted
you → lie → ballot
The PPIC survey was conducted between Sept. 4 and Sept. 10 and had a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points. asserted
survey → conduct → points
The SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, lead proponent of the billionaire tax plan, say it’s needed to replenish federal funding cuts in healthcare and education. asserted
it → say → healthcare
Critics — who include Gov. Gavin Newsom and business interests — argue it would damage California’s economy, leading to a loss of 100,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue over time as billionaires opt to relocate, according to one analysis. uncertain
billionaires → include → analysis
SEIU-UHW leader Dave Regan has described the tax plan as part of a national push to raise levies on the ultra-wealthy. asserted
Regan → describe → wealthy
“I think this is now a national campaign,” Regan told Politico in August. asserted
Regan → think → August
“We knew this was provocative, we knew it would touch a nerve, but we completely underestimated how much interest and attention it would generate.” Brin’s political spending group Building a Better California has also contributed money to Prop. 45, a measure intended to set limits on California Environmental Quality Act building reviews. asserted
group → know → reviews
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support