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Show Notes
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One on One Video Call W/George
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📌 Receipts
California’s Billionaire Tax Proposal
• California’s controversial wealth tax proposal leaves billionaires with little way out - CNBC : Details on the proposed one-time 5% tax on net worth over $1 billion.
• California’s proposed Billionaire Tax Act ballot initiative - PwC : Overview of the ballot measure, including phasing and revenue estimates.
• 25-0024A1 (Billionaire Tax) - California Department of Justice : Official text of the proposed initiative, including tax rates and billionaire effective tax comparisons.
• Expert Report On The California 2026 Billionaire Tax: Revenue, Economic, and Constitutional Analysis : Economic analysis from UC Berkeley on the tax’s structure and impacts.
California Budget Deficit
• First Look: Understanding the Governor’s Proposed 2026-27 California Budget : Breakdown of the projected $2.9 billion deficit and spending priorities.
• Governor Newsom announces proposed budget that refills the state’s “Rainy Day Fund,” protects previous accomplishments, and makes historic investments in education : Official state announcement on the $348.9 billion balanced budget proposal.
• Gavin Newsom forecasts a rosier California budget and banks on AI boom continuing : Analysis of the “modest” $2.9 billion deficit and education spending increases.
Tech Industry Tax Avoidance
• ‘Silicon Six’ accused of avoiding almost $278bn in US corporation taxes over 10 years - The Guardian : Report on tax avoidance by Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, Apple, and others.
• The Spotty International Tax Record of Big U.S. Technology Companies - Council on Foreign Relations : Discussion of foreign profit shifting by tech giants like Apple and Microsoft.
• Fifteen Companies Each Avoided More than $1 Billion in Taxes from a Single Trump Tax Cut – ITEP : Examples of tech firms like Meta and Microsoft benefiting from tax loopholes.
• Silicon Six: Three ways to close big tech’s enduring tax gap - Fair Tax Foundation : Strategies to address ongoing tax avoidance in the tech sector.
Gig Worker Protections (Prop 22)
• Gig work: No one’s enforcing Prop. 22 in California - CalMatters : Critique of Prop 22’s implementation and lack of enforcement for pay and benefits.
• 2020 California Proposition 22 - Wikipedia : Summary of the ballot measure classifying gig workers as independent contractors.
• Prop 22 Depresses Wages and Deepens Inequities for California Workers - National Equity Atlas : Analysis showing lower effective wages for rideshare drivers under Prop 22.
Property Taxes (Prop 13 and Commercial Properties)
• How Prop. 13 gave California’s richest corporations a multibillion-dollar tax break they didn’t want - CalMatters : Explanation of how Prop 13 benefits large corporations with outdated assessments.
• Proposition 13 - LA County Assessor : Official overview of Prop 13’s 1% tax limit and assessment rules.
• California Property Tax: An Overview - Board of Equalization : Details on Prop 13’s impact on real property taxes since 1978.
Homelessness Crisis
• California sees drop in unsheltered homelessness, bucking national trend and federal headwinds : State report on a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness in 2025.
• Homeless Population by State 2026 - World Population Review : Statistics showing California’s ~161,548 homeless population, highest in the U.S.
• California’s Response: Facts About Homelessness - California Health Care Foundation : Data on 339,087 experiencing homelessness in 2023, with demographics.
School Funding
• Financing California’s Public Schools - Public Policy Institute of California : California’s ranking as 16th in per-pupil spending, up from lower historical ranks.
• Per Pupil Spending by State 2026 - World Population Review : National comparisons, with California at ~$14,840 per pupil.