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California voters will decide Proposition 40, a one-time 5% tax on billionaire wealth

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).

4 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Rows of campaign placards reading Yes on 40, No on 41 and 42, Save Lives, Tax Billionaires, on black seats.
Image via The HillHow images are chosenReport this image

Californians vote on Proposition 40 in the midterm elections. The measure would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ assets. The Epoch Times reports that about 260 residents with net worth above $1 billion would be affected, citing a wealth tracker, and that the California Democratic Party, Senator Bernie Sanders and several unions back it. The Guardian, in an opinion column, says Governor Gavin Newsom has led opposition, and that opponents have raised more than $340 million. The Economist and The Hill report that the fight is dividing Democrats, with national stakes.

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

What happened

Key points

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

  1. Voters will decide Proposition 40, a state ballot measure, in the midterm elections.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Economist, The Hill
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  2. Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires’ wealth.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times

  3. An estimated 260 residents with more than $1 billion in net worth would be affected, according to a billionaire wealth tracker.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  4. Supporters, including the California Democratic Party and Senator Bernie Sanders, project the tax would raise roughly $100 billion over five years.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  5. Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass are among Democrats opposing the measure, and opponents have raised upward of $340 million, according to one opinion column.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  6. The measure is dividing California Democrats.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Economist, The Hill

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires and that Democrats are split over it. The center stresses party divide and national stakes, while the right emphasizes opponents’ warnings about companies leaving California and the left highlights Democratic voters’ support against party leaders.

  • the left

    0 outlets · 1 opinion

    Its one piece is an opinion column whose headline casts the fight as party leaders against Democratic voters, with billionaire spending as the backdrop.

    Top Democrats are fighting a billionaire tax in California. Their voters are on the other side |
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Both headlines say the measure divides Democrats, one adding that it draws many questions and the other that it has national stakes.

    California’s billionaire tax is dividing Democrats
    The EconomistCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The one news report uses a neutral, dated headline, while its description leads with opponents’ warning that the tax would drive companies out of the state.

    Californians to Vote on Proposed Billionaire Tax
    The Epoch TimesFar RightAll 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.

  • Left1

    corporate-progressive divide

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right2

    Critics sayso-called

In the outlets’ own words

  • Partisan shorthand

    corporate-progressive divideMore neutral: the divide between party leaders and voters over the measure

    The label corporate-progressive is a characterization of one faction that presumes the piece’s conclusion rather than describing the dispute neutrally.

    The clash exposes the party’s corporate-progressive divide Midway through this summer, a high-quality poll found that Democrats in…

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

  • Vague attribution

    Critics sayMore neutral: The California Business Roundtable and other opponents say

    The claim is attributed to unnamed people, although the coverage names the opponents who make it.

    Critics say the tax could drive more companies out of California.

    Used byThe Epoch Times (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    so-calledMore neutral: the billionaire tax

    The words so-called cast doubt on the name without evidence, while the measure is widely called the billionaire tax across the coverage.

    Proposition 40, the so-called “billionaire tax,” would impose a one-time 5 percent tax on the assets of an…

    Used byThe Epoch Times (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 · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Democratic leaders opposing the tax
  • Gap between party leaders and voters
  • Billionaire spending against the measure

Leaves out

  • Opposition arguments that wealthy residents would leave the state

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeftOpinion

    Top Democrats are fighting a billionaire tax in California. Their voters are on the other side |

    The unprecedented measure has enormous potential nationwide. The clash exposes the party’s Partisan shorthand“corporate-progressive divide”The label corporate-progressive is a characterization of one faction that presumes the piece’s conclusion rather than describing the dispute neutrally.More neutral: the divide between party leaders and voters over the measureDisagree with this highlight? Midway through this summer, a high-quality poll found that Democrats in California were overwhelmingly in favor of the upcoming ballot measure for a one-time …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Split within the Democratic Party
  • National stakes of the vote
  • Wealthy Californians organizing against the measure

Leaves out

  • Polling of Democratic voters’ support

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Billionaire tax divides California Democrats, draws myriad questions

    California voters this midterm cycle will decide whether the state will impose a wealth tax on billionaire residents, as wealthy Californians organize against the measure and experts say its potential broader impact on the state’s economy is nuanced. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • The EconomistCenter

    California’s billionaire tax is dividing Democrats

    The fight over the state’s ballot measure has national stakes

    Read at The Economist (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Opponents’ warning about companies and investment leaving
  • Supporters’ healthcare and education funding
  • Estimated number of affected billionaires

Leaves out

  • Democratic leaders opposing the measure

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline 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

    First to report

    The Economist, Oct 31, 10:50 AM EDT

  • Right

    1 day later

    Its first report, Nov 1, 10:00 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The EconomistCenterOct 31, 10:50 AM EDT
  2. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 1, 10:00 AM EST
  3. The HillCenterNov 1, 12:00 PM EST

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

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