The lynchpin of the Democratic Party’s control over California is not elected officials but the million-plus members of government unions who collectively send more than a billion dollars a year to union leaders to maintain political dominance. However much Democrats may believe they run Sacramento, moments of conflict reveal where power truly lies. This is a lesson Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is confronting as he battles an effort by the Service Employees International Union to seize billionaire assets.

The specific local affiliate sponsor of the “2026 Billionaire Tax Act” is the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, which represents hospital staff, mostly at nonprofit entities such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, and Dignity Health. However, the SEIU-UHW also includes government workers at government hospitals, including the USC Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and Highland Hospital in Oakland.