SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A proposal to temporarily increase taxes on billionaires in California to counter federal cuts to healthcare for low-income people has sufficient public support to qualify for the November ballot, the state's top elections official said.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a Democrat, said Wednesday night that petitioners have collected more than the roughly 875,000 signatures needed to place the proposed tax before voters. It will qualify June 25 unless proponents pull the measure.
"Now that California's historic Billionaire Tax has surpassed the state's signature requirement, we're one step closer to saving the hospitals and emergency rooms that we all rely on," said Debru Carthan, a spokesperson for the group backing the tax.
