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Sophie Austin

Sophie Austin

Fortune

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After flirting with Gavin Newsom rollback idea, union is ‘all in’ on full billionaires’ tax for California

California's one-time billionaire levy isn't on the ballot until November. The opposition war chest is already bigger than most state campaign...

26.06.2026 8

Fortune

Sophie Austin

The union behind California’s billionaire tax is blinking, but Gavin Newsom wants to inflict total defeat

Sergey Brin alone donated $82 million to defeat the measure — from a committee of fewer than a dozen donors that raised $118 million total.

21.06.2026 6

Fortune

Sophie Austin

Gavin Newsom accuses Trump of launching political probe into him. The real issue may be his wife’s taxes

Federal agents have contacted friends, former employees, and organizations tied to Newsom and his wife.

15.06.2026 10

Fortune

Sophie Austin

$215 million later, Tom Steyer is running third. California’s Governor race is still anyone’s

The billionaire former presidential candidate spent more than any primary candidate in the country — and the AP still hasn't called it.

05.06.2026 10

Fortune

Sophie Austin

Gavin Newsom takes rare step of telling Californians to avoid Chevron: ‘Big Oil is already making billions off Trump’s Iran War’

The call-out by the governor's office follows Chevron posting signs at gas stations blaming the state's climate policies for the high cost of gas.

22.05.2026 10

Fortune

Sophie Austin

Tom Steyer runs for California governor on class traitor platform: ‘I’m the billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires’

Steyer, 68, founded Farallon Capital Management in 1986 in San Francisco. Much of his political giving has focused on climate change.

29.04.2026 10

Fortune

Sophie Austin

California is angry about billionaires: the one-time wealth tax will be on the ballot in November

“Hospitals are closing and people will die," said union leader said Liz Perlman. "Why? So billionaires can get another tax cut that they don’t need.”

28.04.2026 10

Fortune

Sophie Austin

California drops lawsuit to reinstate federal bullet train funding as high-speed rail authority seeks private investors

“Moving forward without the Trump administration’s involvement allows the Authority to pursue proven global best practices used successfully by...

27.12.2025 20

Fortune

Sophie Austin

Gavin Newsom hires former CDC officials to work as public health consultants for state of California

Susan Monarez was fired as the CDC’s director and Dr. Debra Houry resigned as the agency’s chief medical officer and deputy director.

16.12.2025 20

Fortune

Sophie Austin

‘You feel kind of forgotten’: Meet a California pipe fitter who got to $118k earnings after a decade but doesn’t know what’s next after the refinery shuts down

Wilfredo Cruz is enrolled in an online cybersecurity training course, paid for by the state program that's set to expire in the next couple of years.

12.10.2025 20

Fortune

Sophie Austin

Gavin Newsom flexes his own ‘MAHA’ plan as he moves to crack down on ultraprocessed foods in school lunch

The first-in-the-nation law will phase out certain ultraprocessed foods from school meals over a decade.

09.10.2025 20

Fortune

Sophie Austin

California crowed that it ‘finally beat big oil’ 2 years ago. Regulators just halted the landmark penalty payments

Energy regulators put the brakes on plans requiring oil firms to pay if their profits climb too high after two refineries announced plans to close.

30.08.2025 20

Fortune

Sophie Austin

GOP-controlled House votes to block California from phasing out sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035

California for decades has been given the authority to adopt vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than the federal government's.

02.05.2025 20

Fortune

Sophie Austin