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Why California voters rejected a billionaire wealth tax

People visit the Billionaire Tax Now booth at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Feb. 21, 2026. (Jeff Chiu/AP)
Jeff Chiu/AP
People visit the Billionaire Tax Now booth at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Feb. 21, 2026. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

California voters rejected a ballot measure that would have imposed a wealth tax on the state’s billionaires to fund health care.

Here & Now speaks with Marisa Lagos, a political correspondent for member station KQED in San Francisco, about why the measure failed and what the results mean for future efforts to tax the wealthy.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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