Steyer on MeidasTouch: “I’m the Billionaire Who is Going to Take on the Billionaires”

SAN FRANCISCO — In an interview on the MeidasTouch podcast, activist and candidate for governor Tom Steyer talked about his call for billionaires like himself to pay more taxes. In a Substack published earlier this week, Steyer outlined his plan to close tax loopholes and stop corporations from offloading their costs onto the backs of California's working families.

• "The inequality in this state is incredible. We are creating an enormous amount of wealth for a very small number of people in this state and the majority of people in this state are struggling to make rent. We have the highest percentage of people in poverty in the United States of America and the highest inequality. Second of all, we really have a revenue-challenged state. An awful lot of that is due to Donald Trump's criminal administration in Washington, which wants to take California's money and not send any of it back for services."
• "People need health care. Young people deserve first-class education. We have real needs on the ground. And, we need to restructure how we're doing taxes. What I've said is, look, we're creating immense wealth for billionaires, the biggest corporations in the world are here. They're here because California has invested over decades, over a century in an ecosystem that works to start and build companies, which is great, which I'm entirely in favor of. But the truth is, that we need a state where everyone gets brought along, where we deliver the services that Californians need and deserve."

Steyer also outlined why he's the candidate best equipped to take on the special interests in the state that have historically driven up utility prices and blocked affordable housing. For over 15 years, Steyer has led winning California ballot proposition campaigns that have raised billions of dollars from large corporations for Californians' health care and public schools, including Proposition 23, Proposition 39 and Proposition 56.

• "I will take on the interests because I don't owe them anything, I will never owe them anything. I am not beholden to them. And that's why I am the person who took them on in the past because other people weren't willing to. And I will take them on in the future. I am the billionaire who will take on the billionaires. You can look at my life. That's what I've been doing, that's who I am. And I get results. California's have heard a lot of talk. I think it's time we actually get results."

Finally, Tom repeated his strong condemnation of CEOs who chose to gather at the White House on Sunday night after the tragic killing of Alex Pretti and those who have otherwise stayed silent on the President's actions in Minneapolis.

• "The silence is deafening. The idea that they haven't stood up and spoken about murder on streets, about the invasion of Minneapolis by a lawless reckless ICE organization that can do what it wants with impunity to me is amazing. And so, to a very large extent, if you're going to be a leader of civil society, you have to stand for something. And their silence implies that the only thing they stand for is money. The only thing that they're willing to fight for is their bottom line."