California Edition

The 800-Pound Gorilla Tackling Silicon Valley’s Richest

The California union behind the wealth tax proposal has turned the state's ballot measure system into a powerful political tool.

SEIU-UHW President Dave Regan, left, announcing new ballot initiatives in 2014.Photographer: Business Wire/AP

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The “800-pound gorilla” of California politics has dragged Silicon Valley's richest and Governor Gavin Newsom into a brawl that highlights a particularly powerful lever in the state's political system: its ballot initiatives.