Actor Mark Ruffalo has publicly attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom over the governor’s backing of Proposition 42, a measure designed to block any future state wealth tax on billionaires.
Ruffalo posted his criticism on X on Wednesday, accusing Newsom of consistently favoring the ultra-wealthy at the expense of ordinary Californians.
“Once again. Just like the Paramount Merger Gavin Newsom does what he always does. Sells out the working class people for the billionaires again and again. Not only that but endorses a bill that will make it impossible to tax the wealthy at all.,” Ruffalo wrote.
Newsom has defended his support for Prop 42, framing it as protection for everyday workers rather than a giveaway to the rich. In a statement, the governor said the measure safeguards retirement savings from new state taxation.
“I am proud to stand with firefighters, blue-collar unions, veterans, seniors, and small businesses in support of Prop 42. We all agree that Californians deserve to have their retirement and life savings protected from new state taxes so those savings are there when they need them,” Newsom said.
This is not the first time Ruffalo has gone after Newsom. In September, the actor accused the governor of helping President Donald Trump through his handling of the merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery, calling the settlement a “huge win to Trump.”
Ruffalo also criticized Newsom earlier this month over his veto of a state artificial intelligence safety bill. Writing in an op-ed for TIME magazine titled “Governor Newsom’s Veto on the AI Bill Was a Mistake,” Ruffalo called the decision a mistake and urged the public to “follow the money” in evaluating Newsom’s choices.
“AI is now a real-life technology, and love it or hate it, most everyone agrees it will make a massive impact on all of our real lives,” Ruffalo wrote in that op-ed.
