California Voters to Decide on Billionaires Tax to Fund Healthcare

Proposed measure would impose one-time tax on state's wealthiest to prevent hospital closures

Apr. 7, 2026 at 7:28pm

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An extreme close-up of a solitary medical scrub top hanging on a clothesline in a dimly lit urban alleyway, the fabric bathed in warm, diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, conceptually illustrating the emotional toll on healthcare workers as hospitals face closures.A healthcare worker's uniform reflects the strain on California's medical system as billionaires' wealth grows untaxed.Gilroy Today

A healthcare worker from Santa Clara County is urging California voters to support a proposed 'Billionaires Tax' that would impose a small, one-time tax on the global wealth of the state's roughly 200 billionaires. The worker, a single mother of three, says the tax is needed to prevent hospital and emergency room closures that would impact everyone, not just those on Medicaid. The worker argues that while she and other working families pay taxes out of every paycheck, the state's ultra-wealthy often pay much lower rates on their growing fortunes.

Why it matters

The wealth of California's billionaires has grown substantially in recent years, but much of it remains largely untaxed. Meanwhile, the healthcare system that the worker depends on, both as an employee and as a parent of a child with special needs, is facing cuts and closures due to federal budget reductions. The Billionaires Tax is seen as a way to prevent these healthcare service reductions from impacting working families like the worker's.

The details

The proposed Billionaires Tax would impose a small, one-time tax on the global wealth of California's roughly 200 billionaires. Public polling shows voters supporting the measure by a 2-1 margin. The worker argues that while she and other working families pay taxes out of every paycheck, the state's ultra-wealthy often pay much lower rates on their growing fortunes. The worker is worried about the impact of hospital and emergency room closures on her family and community, as well as the loss of Medicaid services for her autistic son.

  • This November, Californians will decide on the proposed Billionaires Tax.

The players

Yvonne Esquivel

A medical assistant at Kaiser Permanente in Gilroy and a single mother of three boys, one of whom is autistic and depends on Medicaid services.

California Billionaires

The roughly 200 billionaires in California whose global wealth would be subject to a small, one-time tax under the proposed Billionaires Tax.

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What they’re saying

“No parent should have to choose between a second job and making sure their child gets the care they need. No healthcare worker should have to wonder whether the system they show up for every day will survive the year.”

— Yvonne Esquivel, Medical Assistant

What’s next

If passed, the Billionaires Tax would go into effect immediately, with the revenue used to prevent hospital and emergency room closures across California.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing divide between the ultra-wealthy and working families in California, with the proposed Billionaires Tax seen as a way to ensure that the state's wealthiest contribute their fair share to fund critical healthcare services that benefit everyone, not just those on government assistance.