Katie Porter weighs in on billionaire tax: ‘Perpetuates the status quo’

(Nexstar) — Two months after swearing off politics , former California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter is back in the fray — sort of.

Porter, who finished in a distant 5th place in this year’s primary , said in July that she was “done, for now, with politics.” The former lawmaker also called the change a “new chapter in my life” and updated the Instagram account from one for a political campaign to one for a book influencer: “Katie Porter Turns the Page.”

On Monday, Porter waded back into the murky political waters surrounding Prop 40 — the “Billionaire Tax.”

The one-time 5 percent levy on the wealth of all billionaires in California has divided the state and the Democratic Party, drawing opposition from many top leaders including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the frontrunner to replace him in the governor’s mansion.

In an opinion article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Porter attempts to make the progressive case against Prop 40.

“For too many years, working families across California have been shortchanged in an economy shaped by corporate elites and the ultra-wealthy,” she wrote, echoing common themes from her past campaigns.

This time, however, Porter argues that believing wealthy Californians should pay their fair share “doesn’t require us to rubber-stamp every poorly drafted policy.” She added that framing the election as a choice between billionaires and working people ignores reality and calls for left-leaning voters to “not be fooled.”

“Proposition 40 is a prime example of a seemingly progressive-sounding policy solution that ultimately just perpetuates the status quo,” the former lawmaker continued “It does nothing to reform our healthcare system and would send billions in tax dollars to private health insurance companies and corporations that dominate our healthcare system.”

Her opposition could provide more progressive cover for Newsom’s own qualms with the proposal as the governor attempts to balance his liberal bona fides with his presidential ambitions .

The UC Berkeley Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research released a Politico-backed poll on that very topic Monday, with a topline result showing likely voters are extremely divided on Prop 40: 46 percent say they support the tax while 43 percent would vote against it.

The survey also shows that a plurality (32 percent) of California voters believe Newsom is “mainly trying to protect billionaires and other wealthy interests” by opposing Prop 40, and 24 percent believe the governor is “mainly trying to protect California’s economy and tax base.” Another 15 percent said they think the governor has both motivations equally, while 15 percent say neither and 13 percent said they aren’t sure.

Last Friday, Porter also returned to the world of government when Newsom announced her appointment to the California Community Colleges’ board of governors, which oversees 116 schools across the state. The Senate-confirmed position comes with a $100 per diem.

Porter served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 until 2025.