Super-Earners Targeted in California Tax Push as Revenue Surges

California Governor Jerry Brown convinced voters in 2012 they had to raise taxes if they wanted to avoid Draconian cuts to schools. It was temporary, he said. Now, as state coffers are heavy with surplus revenue, advocacy groups and organized labor want to keep the levies in place.

The proponents, including teacher and state worker unions, have launched campaigns to qualify two separate initiatives on the statewide ballot to either extend the taxes through the next decade or make some permanent -- while raising those levied on the wealthy even more. They want to spend the money on schools and programs for the poor.