Google co-founder Sergey Brin has contributed $102 million this year to a political group funding ballot measures that could block California’s proposed wealth tax on billionaires.
The LA Times reports that Google co-founder Sergey Brin has poured $102 million this year into Building a Better California, a group funding two ballot measures that could block a billionaire tax, according to data from the California Secretary of State. His latest donation totaled $20 million. Brin’s net worth was $284 billion at the start of the week, making him the world’s fourth-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Building a Better California describes itself on its website as a nonpartisan group focused on “supporting forward-looking ideas to improve affordability and quality of life for all Californians” while protecting innovation and economic growth. It also backs affordable housing efforts. The group declined to comment on Brin’s contributions.
The organization is funding Propositions 41 and 42, which supporters of a billionaire tax argue are designed to “trick voters” into nullifying that tax. Voters will decide on the wealth tax proposal, known as Proposition 40, along with the two competing measures in November.
Proposition 40 would impose a one-time five percent tax on the assets of billionaires who resided in California on January 1. It applies to people with a net worth of at least $1 billion. According to the leftist California government, ninety percent of the revenue would fund healthcare, with the remaining 10 percent going toward education and food assistance. Supporters estimate the tax would raise roughly $100 billion to offset federal funding cuts, though the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the exact amount is difficult to predict and the state would likely collect tens of billions of dollars.
Proposition 41 would require audits for new state special taxes and would bar new state taxes that exempt their revenue from a state spending limit. Proposition 42 would prohibit new taxes on “retirement holdings, individually-owned assets, and other forms of personal savings” and would bar retroactive taxes on past earnings.
Supporters of Propositions 41 and 42 say the measures aim to cut wasteful government spending, improve transparency and protect retirement savings. But both conflict with the proposed billionaire tax, meaning they could block it from becoming law, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. If either measure receives more approval votes than Proposition 40, the wealth tax would be nullified.
The Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the California Democratic Party and other groups support the wealth tax. SEIU-UHW Vice President Debru Carthan criticized Brin’s spending in a statement: “California billionaire Sergey Brin would rather spend $100 million to fund a shady opposition campaign than simply pay his fair share in taxes so millions of Californians don’t lose their healthcare. That’s shameful. Billionaires already pay much lower tax rates than what working families pay out of every paycheck.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Brin’s politics have shifted to the right due to his “really wonderful MAGA girlfriend:”
Google co-founder Sergey Brin told Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) that he found California’s proposed billionaire tax intolerable. He was joined by girlfriend Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto, a conservative influencer who supports Donald Trump. Gilbert-Soto joked she’d overlook Newsom’s policies because of his appearance, but argued the tax would severely damage California’s economy. Newsom, previously not supportive, announced the following month he would work to defeat it.
Brin, 52, has traditionally backed progressive causes: a 2008 same-sex marriage campaign, Obama’s 2012 re-election, and called Trump’s 2016 victory “deeply offensive” in remarks to Google staff exclusively reported by Breitbart News. He joined protests against Trump’s Muslim-majority travel restrictions, and in 2021 launched a nonprofit directing at least $88 million toward climate initiatives.
Read more at the LA Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.