Gavin Newsom Urges Californians To Vote Against Raising Taxes For Millionaires

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California is urging Californians to vote against a ballot proposition that would raise taxes for individuals who make more than $2 million a year, according to a political advertisement that aired Monday.

The legislation, Proposition 30, would impose an additional 1.75% tax on annual incomes of more than $2 million to help the state pay for electric vehicles (EVs) and EV infrastructure, according to the advertisement. Newsom declared that the measure was a “trojan horse” being disguised as a climate measure by Lyft, a rideshare company that he claimed is trying to benefit from the provision.

“Prop 30 is a trojan horse that puts corporate welfare above the fiscal welfare of our entire state,” Newsom stated in the advertisement. “It was devised by a single corporation to funnel state income taxes to benefit their company.”

Although Newsom did not explicitly mention Lyft in the video, the ad includes several news headlines referencing the company’s connection to the ballot proposition. A portion of Proposition 30’s tax revenue will be used to help individuals pay for new EVs and since Lyft contracts independent drivers, some of its workers could benefit from the money raised from the provision.