Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., criticized California’s proposed ‘devastating’ wealth tax and how it would affect the state’s residents on ‘The Evening Edit.’
A group of tech industry leaders and self-described “radical centrists” have vowed to push back on left-leaning policies. California causing an exodus of wealthy businessmen and businesses from the Golden State.
I The New York Post reported that the group held an event attended by about 350 people in Mountain View, California, which included elected officials, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, technology industry leaders and hundreds of attendees who wanted to challenge the continued tilt of federal policies.
The meeting comes as several prominent wealthy businessmen left California to avoid a one-time 5% wealth tax on former California residents earlier this year, with the tax due next year. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and PayPal founder Peter Thiel are among those who have moved to or from California.
Business leaders leading the group urged attendees not to give up on California by leaving and instead push back on left-leaning policies by electing moderate politicians.
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Y Combinator CEO and founder Garry Tan launched “Garry’s List” to educate voters about California politics. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Some people have decided to leave our country as something heroic. Like, ‘I’m going to Florida,'” Ripple Chairman Chris Larsen said at the event, according to the Post. “That’s not bravery. It’s surrender. So, let’s take part. Let’s take back our status.”
Larsen said the party must “fight the unions as equals when they propose stupid job-killing ideas like San Francisco CEO Tax.”
He shouted again Democratic politicians vying for the party’s nomination for governor of California, including former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Rep. Katie Porter in support of a union-backed CEO tax.
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Policies like San Francisco’s CEO tax and a proposed wealth tax targeting billionaires have caused backlash from California leaders. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
He said it is “really disappointing,” and it shows the pressure the unions have put on state elected officials. Larsen added that while the group is not anti-union, it aims to balance workers’ ability to influence elected officials.
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan hosted the event after launching “Garry’s List” last month to serve as a “citizen’s union” support centrist candidates in California who support policies to improve public schools and address issues related to housing and public safety.
Tan criticized Steyer, saying he was trying to “buy the governor’s mansion to raise taxes,” and praised Mahan as “the next governor of California.”
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The tight Democratic race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom will be a historic battle between centrists and progressives. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Post’s report noted that Garry’s List is focusing on voter education efforts through Tan’s AI-assisted blog. Tan launched a critical site anti-growth policieswealth taxes and the San Francisco teachers strike.
Garry’s list is one of several groups that have formed in an effort to curb the violence in California politics.
A group called Grow California was founded by Larsen and Tim Draper, which will spend about $40 million to support “pragmatic” candidates focused on solving problems such as the cost of living.
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Another group called Building a Better California was launched by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, venture capitalist Michael Moritz and other tech leaders. It has raised more than $45 million to help advance initiatives to reform tax policy and promote development.
