Building a Bitter California (or, the battle of the billionaires)

Today we're discussing the billionaires trying to ruin California politics with their Building a Better California "nonprofit," as well as the cynical neoliberal argument against the one viable gubernatorial candidate who supports the billionaire's tax and Medicare for All. We also get deep into the weeds on Google cofounder Sergey Brin's gut-health MAGA girlfriend, Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto. You may have heard that Brin cornered Governor Gavin Newsom (free link) at a lavish party late last year to lean on him to fight against the billionaire's tax (which Newsom did a month later--ruining any chance he had for a 2028 presidential run). Like a true coward, Brin ran away to Nevada months before the initiative reached its signatures to get on the ballot. Brin has a weird girlfriend who Donald Trump loves, which likely explains a large part of his rightward shift in recent years. As a result, he's picking up the mantle in the fight to stop another billionaire, Tom Steyer, from becoming the next governor of California. Steyer, you might remember, is the one viable candidate in support of the tax, as well as a slew of other progressive policies, including Medicare for All. We take a look at Brin's cynically named "nonprofit" advocacy group, Building a Better California--into which he's personally thrown $57 million. We also look at some of the bad writing by political operatives trying to put a stop to the state's surging economic populism. Paging Mahyk Muhdrid (free link). Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms. Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at [email protected]. We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa