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California voters reject Proposition 40 billionaire wealth tax

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Stacked yellow protest placards reading 'Tax Billionaires, Fund People's Needs' near crowd on steps.
Image via The Epoch TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

The Epoch Times, The Center Square and Fox News report that California voters rejected Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ assets, in the November 3 midterm election, and approved Proposition 42, which bars new state property taxes. The Epoch Times and The Center Square give different margins for the rejection. Proponents, including the SEIU-UHW union that put the measure on the ballot, plan to revive it in 2028, the Epoch Times reports. Fox News reports that the Democratic Socialists of America backed the measure while Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed it.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Voters rejected Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ assets, in the November 3 midterm election.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  2. Voters approved Proposition 42, which bars the state from imposing new property taxes.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  3. Reported margins for the rejection differ between outlets, at 55.6 to 44.4 percent in one and 52.4 percent in the other.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  4. The SEIU-UHW union, which put the measure on the ballot, said it plans to resurrect it in 2028.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  5. According to the California Secretary of State, about $33 million was spent supporting the measure and more than $130 million opposing it.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Proponents claimed the tax would have raised roughly $100 billion over five years.

    One outletThe Center Square· Right

  2. The Democratic Socialists of America backed the measure, and Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed it.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • What margin did Proposition 40 lose by?

    The Epoch Times reports it was rejected 55.6 percent to 44.4 percent, while The Center Square reports 52.4 percent rejected and 47.6 percent in favor.

How each side tells it

Compare views

The right-side outlets report that California voters rejected the one-time 5% billionaire tax in Proposition 40 while approving Proposition 42, and they frame the result as a defeat for the tax, with Fox News stressing a split between the Democratic Socialists of America and Gavin Newsom.

  • the left

    No coverage yet

    No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    3 outlets

    Headlines present the rejection as a defeat for the tax; Fox News, rated Far Right, instead centers a split between Democratic Socialists and Gavin Newsom.

    Billionaire tax fails, bond measures pass in California
    The Center SquareRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left

    Has not covered this story.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    critics say

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    critics sayMore neutral: named opponents of the measure have warned

    Attributes the concern about capital flight to unnamed critics without identifying who holds it.

    …larger discussions about socialism's redistributive aims — and the capital flight critics say could follow.

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • defeat of the billionaire tax
  • passage of Proposition 42 and bond measures
  • split between the Democratic Socialists and Newsom
See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Fox News, Nov 4, 2:51 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Fox NewsFar RightNov 4, 2:51 PM EST
  2. The Center SquareRightNov 4, 7:04 PM EST
  3. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 4, 8:35 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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