Building a Better California

Building a Better California is an American political advocacy organization in California that describes itself as a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit with an affiliated political action committee.

Building a Better California became publicly active in January 2026, primarily with financial backing from technology executives. The group has opposed Proposition 40, a proposed wealth tax on billionaires, and supported Propositions 42 and 41.

History

Building a Better California was co-founded by technology executives Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt, who are opposed to the billionaire tax, introduced two questions to the November 2026 ballot, which are designed to curb the effects of the billionaire tax if it passes. One, known as Proposition 41, would bar new taxes from circumventing rules on education spending requirements for tax revenue, while Proposition 42 would invalidate the billionaire tax by amending the state constitution to forbid retroactive taxation. Another measure that would have required more audits of special taxes and imposed more rules on how revenue could be spent did not qualify for the ballot.

By August 2026, Building a Better California had raised $118 million, primarily from Brin, Chris Larsen, and John Doerr.

Campaign contributions

While the largest reported contributions went to campaigns opposing Proposition 40 and supporting Propositions 41 and 42, the organization also contributed to campaigns concerning housing and environmental review.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission's disclosures, last modified October 27, 2026, listed the following contributions:

Campaign Issue Reported contribution
No on Proposition 40 Opposition to the proposed billionaire wealth tax $129,000,000
Yes on Proposition 41 State tax, spending-limit and audit requirements $58,350,000
Yes on Proposition 42 Restrictions on new personal-property taxes and certain retroactive taxes $145,800,000
Yes on Proposition 45 Changes to environmental-review requirements $10,000,000
Yes on Proposition 37 Homebuyer assistance $6,000,000
Yes on Proposition 1 Veterans and affordable housing bond $1,000,000

References

  1. ↑ "FAQ". Building a Better California. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  2. 1 2 Leonard, Christian (2026-10-06). "$45 million in a week: California's wealthy aren't holding back to try to stop 'billionaire tax'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  3. ↑ Bharade, Aditi. "Sergey Brin and the who's who of tech donated millions ahead of California's wealth tax vote". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  4. ↑ "Building a Better California". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  5. 1 2 3 Nelson, Laura J. (25 March 2026). "California Billionaires Are Spending Big in Costly Wealth-Tax Fight". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  6. ↑ "California Prohibit Exceptions to State Minimum Guarantee for Education Funding Amendment (2026)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  7. ↑ "California Revenue Use Requirements for New Special Taxes Amendment (2026)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  8. ↑ "California Prohibit Taxes on Retirement Holdings and Personal Savings Amendment (2026)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  9. ↑ Garofoli, Joe (30 August 2026). "Here's how California billionaire tax backers plan to compete against avalanche of cash". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  10. ↑ "Google co-founder pours more than $100 million into fighting California's billionaire tax". Los Angeles Times. 2026-08-12. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  11. ↑ Quiroz-Gutierrez, Marco. "California's billionaires just poured $40 million into blocking a wealth tax that threatens to force them to pay 5% of their net worth". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  12. ↑ Hobbs, Stephen (2/5/26). "New campaign committee gives big to possible 2026 CA housing ballot measures". Sacramento Bee. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "November 2026 General Election | FPPC". www.fppc.ca.gov. Retrieved 2026-10-29.