No state may be a more natural fit for a tax on billionaires than California. The state leans left politically, needs funds for healthcare and is home to as many as 250 billionaires collectively worth upwards of $2 trillion.
But the November 3 ballot initiative Proposition 40, which asks Californians whether to impose a one-time 5% tax on the state's billionaires, is far from certain to pass, political analysts say, amid a debate that has raised questions about income inequality and the state's future business prospects.