40+ Publications Urge Californians to Vote NO on Prop. 40

Editorial Boards Across the State Reach Broad Consensus: 40 is Bad for California

SACRAMENTO, CA — With less than a week remaining before Election Day, the No on 40 coalition is spotlighting the broad and overwhelming opposition to Proposition 40 that’s emerged from editorial boards in every pocket of California. 

In total, more than 40 publications have urged Californians to vote “NO” on the measure — from the state’s largest and most respected daily newspapers to community news outlets and Black and Spanish-language media. Highlights include:

San Francisco Chronicle: California isn’t a lab rat. Prop 40 treats us like one

“Maybe, just maybe, the stakes are too high in California to be playing a game of chicken. Maybe the brightest and boldest minds in the field of economic justice should help stabilize California’s tax base before turning our state into a laboratory?”

Los Angeles Times: Vote no on Prop. 40. It ignores education, housing and safety 

“Proposition 40 is ballot-box budgeting at its worst: a one-time tax that would raise tens of billions of dollars ostensibly for healthcare — but has insufficient guardrails to ensure the funds are spent to actually address Californians’ most pressing healthcare needs.”

San Diego Union-Tribune: Vote no on ‘billionaires tax’ to prevent economic chaos, preserve jobs

“Those who sweat the details realize that such taxes put a bull’s-eye on the backs of the job-creating entrepreneurs that every elected leader should covet.”

La Opinión: Proposition 40 would be good nationally. For California alone, it’s a bad idea

“Promoting this proposed law for one state during this campaign is counterproductive, naive, and impractical. If passed, it will only cause the state’s billionaires, some 200 of them, to relocate. And that’s it. Their current California tax revenue would vanish. That extra 5% would disappear.”

Riverside Press-Enterprise: No on Proposition 40’s reckless wealth tax

“Regardless of where one sits on the political spectrum, there’s very little to like about this measure and plenty to worry about. It’s an aggressive money grab that could sink California’s progressive budget. It pursues short-term aims despite the long-term consequences.”

El Popular News: Proposition 40: The goal is right; the plan is not.

“Proposition 40 asks voters to trust that this drastic short-term measure will serve patients without knowing what happens next, while schools and safety-net programs are left with promises instead of guarantees. That is not a fair trade. Vote No on Proposition 40.”

Oakland Post: Proposition 40: It’s Time to Play Chess, Not Checkers 

“We should build tax policy that is thoughtful, sustainable, and difficult to avoid. We should not create a temporary solution that could leave us confronting another revenue problem down the road.”

Other publications opposing Proposition 40, include:

National publications, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Examiner, have also opined against Proposition 40.

The views of voters across California increasingly reflect the broad opposition from these publications. According to the PPIC poll released yesterday, 52% of likely voters would vote no on Proposition 40, while 46% would vote yes. This is a reversal of last month’s poll, which had 52% of likely voters supporting the measure and 46% opposed. The Berkeley IGS poll released today tracked a similar trend, finding 50% of likely voters intend to vote no on Proposition 40, while 42% are voting yes. This poll finds yes-side support continuing to slide from the last poll completed in mid-September.

Leaders representing communities throughout the state also continue to come out against Proposition 40. In recent days, the campaign announced that four of California’s most experienced local and state leaders, Black community leaders, agricultural leaders and farmers, and veterans are standing together against Proposition 40. They join a broad coalition of doctors, teachers, healthcare providers, labor unions, firefighters, civil rights leaders, affordable housing advocates, and small businesses opposing this measure. 

Among the organizations rejecting Proposition 40 are the California Teachers Association, California Medical Association, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, California Primary Care Association Advocates, California Hospital Association, California Professional Firefighters, State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, Housing California, California School Boards Association, and many others