Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took center stage in downtown San Francisco on Saturday, his latest appearance in the Golden State as he lends his star power to the effort to pass Proposition 40, a proposed one-time tax on billionaires.
Sanders, an independent, is arguably the measure’s most fervent supporter and its most high-profile endorser. San Franciscans and health care workers filed into the 1,650-seat Curran Theatre on Saturday evening decked out in old “Feel the Bern” merchandise and signs with the message “SAVE LIVES, TAX BILLIONAIRES.” Most of California’s biggest names in Democratic politics oppose the measure. Sanders was also on hand when Prop 40 supporters kicked off their campaign in Los Angeles in February.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent-Vt., says the nation is watching as California considers a wealth tax. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
The crowd gave the democratic socialist senator a standing ovation the moment he took the microphone, and repeatedly screamed and applauded its support.
Sanders shared his condolences over the shooting death of a man outside the Warfield theater in downtown San Francisco early Saturday, which prompted a last-minute venue change, before turning to his planned remarks.
Attendees cheer as Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent-Vt., speaks during the “Ballots Over Billionaires” wealth tax rally at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
Proposition 40 “is the most important ballot initiative in the country,” Sanders said, adding that it was not merely a tax measure but a existential question about the future of California and the nation.
“Can the American people sustain democracy, take on the greed and power of the billionaire class, and create an economy and government that works for all?” he asked. “Or be destined to live in an oligarchic society where our economic and political lives are controlled by a handful of the wealthiest people in the world?”
Sanders started a California tour earlier this week, decrying the billionaires who have spent more than $200 million opposing the measure, which calls for a temporary 5% tax on people with net worths of at least $1 billion. Most of the funds would be designated to backfill federal healthcare cuts under the Trump administration. Billionaires funded two counter measures – Propositions 41 and 42 – which the evening’s speakers encouraged voters to vote against in addition to “yes on 40.”
Should voters here pass Prop 40, Sanders said other states will follow as he pursues a federal wealth tax targeting billionaires. “Trust me,” he said, California’s proposition “will not be the end.”
From left, California insurance commissioner candidate Jane Kim, Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent-Vt., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., stand together onstage after the “Ballots Over Billionaires” wealth tax rally at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, and former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, who is running for insurance commissioner, also spoke at Saturday’s rally.
Supervisor Connie Chan, who is running for a Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s House seat, was also in the crowd.
“It’s the first time in the history of the world that there is a billionaire tax on the ballot. … The whole nation is watching,” Khanna told the crowd, adding, “Passing this bill is about what kind of Democratic Party we want to be.”
A Public Policy Institute of California survey conducted in September shows a close contest: 52% of likely voters support the tax, which needs a simple majority to pass. Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra and Gov. Gavin Newsom, both Democrats, oppose the measure and have said they’re concerned it could push billionaires – and their money – out of state.
Attendees cheer during the “Ballots Over Billionaires” wealth tax rally at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
Saturday’s rally is part of a bigger swing through California for Sanders, who was state Democrats’ pick in the presidential primary in 2020. On Wednesday, he appeared virtually at the National Nurses Union’s convention in San Francisco to support Prop 40.
Kim, who served as Sanders’ California campaign director in 2020, described the Vermont senator as “the most popular politician in the state of California.”
“His platform of Medicare for All, tuition-free public college, and affordable housing is popular amongst all Californians because it is what makes sense,” Kim told reporters ahead of Saturday’s rally. “And so him being out here is to organize voters up and down the state to make sure that we’re asking those with the most to give back to our community, make sure those who have the least do not lose their safety net.”
Sign promote Prop 40, the California billionaire tax, before a rally at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
Khanna said Newsom has been siding with the billionaires to protect his own campaign interests for his anticipated presidential run.
“They’re trying to confuse voters, and they’re outspending us 20 to 1,” Khanna said, adding that Sanders is helping attract grassroots support for Prop 40.
Savonnda Blaylock, donning dangling “Prop 40” earrings with a matching custom baseball hat, said it “hurt” that Newsom and other top state officials are not supporting the proposed one-time tax on billionaires.
“It hurts as not only a healthcare worker but as a mother, as a grandmother to a child or a grandson who has special needs,” she said, referring to the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid, also known as Medi-Cal.
“I’m truly saddened that right now we’re at this point that Democrats, just people in general, are not doing what’s right for the people.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent-Vt., lends his support to Prop 40 during a rally at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday. (Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle)
After a Stanford University rally in February, Sanders told the Chronicle that the business leaders threatening to leave the state over the tax are bluffing. He pointed to wealthy people in New York City who made similar threats ahead of the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also a democratic socialist. They have not left.
After Saturday’s Curran event, Sanders plans to rally support for newly elected Rep. Aisha Wahab in Livermore on Sunday before heading to Bakersfield in support of Democrat Randy Villegas, who is trying to flip a Republican-held House seat.
On Monday, Sanders plans to lead a second “Ballots Over Billionaires” rally in Los Angeles with Khanna and Kim.
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This article originally published at Bernie Sanders rallies in S.F. for ‘the most important ballot initiative in the country’.