Throngs of people began lining up outside the Wiltern in Koreatown hours before Sen. Bernie Sanders was set to take the stage Wednesday, kicking off a campaign to place a billionaire wealth tax before California voters this fall.
By about 3:30 p.m., the line stretched along Wilshire Boulevard and wrapped around the theater. Organizers said the free event was at capacity.
The atmosphere inside was already animated when Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello took the stage, his electric set drawing headbanging and screaming as the theater pulsed with sound. It reached a fever pitch when Sanders, 84, walked out 10 minutes past 7 p.m.
The most important issue of our time, Sanders said in his opening, is “the need for our country to finally confront the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality that we are currently experiencing.”
“The billionaire class no longer sees itself as part of American society. They see themselves as something separate and apart. Like the oligarchs of the 18th and 19th centuries … these guys literally believe they have the divine right to rule and are no longer subject to democratic governance,” he said. “Well, we got some bad news for them.”
Sanders, an independent from Vermont, headlined the rally as part of a multiday swing through California. The rally in Koreatown was organized by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, which is leading the effort to qualify what it calls the California Billionaire Tax Act for the November ballot.
The proposed measure would impose a one-time tax of up to 5% on individuals and trusts with a net worth above $1 billion. Backers estimate about 200 California residents would be affected. Revenue would be collected over several years and deposited into a special state fund, with 90% dedicated to health care programs and 10% to education and food assistance.
Supporters say the tax could generate roughly $100 billion over five years and help offset anticipated federal reductions to Medi-Cal and other safety-net programs.
Union members walked around before and after the rally with clipboards, urging attendees to sign petitions. Organizers must gather roughly 875,000 valid signatures by June 24 to qualify the measure for the ballot.
Some attendees said they traveled from nearby neighborhoods, including Miracle Mile, to see Sanders. Others came from farther away, including Topanga and out of state.
Anja Kranenburg, who flew in from Illinois to visit family in LA, said she has supported Sanders for years and believes a wealth tax is necessary.
“It needs to be done in legislation to hold them accountable more and stop them from being able to accumulate and hoard all their wealth,” she said.
Zennon Ulyate-Crow, a Topanga resident running for the 24th State Senate district, said he’s appreciative of Sanders’ leadership for “making us accountable for issues that actually matter to folks.”
“We’re seeing how corporations are taking away jobs, having increased automation, people are seeing their health care costs increase as CEO pay for healthcare executives skyrocket. We know that we need to do things differently than the way they’ve been done,” he said. “So I’m excited to see Bernie coming out here to California to show us exactly what that looks like and what leadership looks like when it comes to fighting against this oligarchy.”
The Wiltern, which has hosted major music acts and political events alike — including a Sanders campaign rally in 2016 — sits in the heart of one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in LA.
Census Bureau data show more than 112,000 residents live within Koreatown’s roughly 2.9 square mile radius. About two in 10 residents live below the poverty line, and the median household income is just over $52,000, or roughly half the statewide median.
Not everyone supports the proposal. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has voiced opposition, arguing that a state-level wealth tax could prompt some of California’s highest earners to relocate, potentially reducing long-term income tax revenue. The state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has also cautioned that while the tax could bring in tens of billions in one-time revenue, it may carry fiscal risks if high-income residents leave.
On Wednesday, Sanders shot back.
“Their message will be, ‘If you pass this … we will punish you, we will move out,’” he said.
But he noted there has been no mass exodus of millionaires from New York since Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor, despite warnings and threats to leave.
“When Mamdani was elected, they didn’t move out, and I doubt that they will move out of the great state of California,” Sanders said to cheers from the crowd.
Union leaders’ message was that “a small, one-time tax on billionaires” is enough to solve the state’s health care funding problem and keep hospitals and emergency rooms open.
“Millions of Californians are about to lose their health care … all because billionaires insist on paying a lower tax than us. So if we don’t act, hospitals and ERs are going to close. If we don’t act, millions will lose the healthcare they rely on,” said Suzanne Jimenez, chief of staff at SEIU Healthcare Workers West.
Even before qualifying for the ballot, the initiative has drawn national attention, in part because of Sanders’ involvement. During a call with reporters ahead of his trip, Sanders said he views the California proposal as a model for broader federal action.
“We are going to introduce a wealth tax for the whole country. We have got to deal with the greed, the extraordinary greed of the billionaire class,” he said.
After his LA appearance, Sanders is expected to travel to the Bay Area for additional events, including discussions focused on artificial intelligence and its impact on workers.
