The San Francisco Democratic Party used to stand on the side of working people, everyday people. Dolly Parton, who we lost this week, never forgot where she came from. She grew up in a one-room cabin in Tennessee with eleven brothers and sisters, and she shared her success with the community that raised her.

She could have become a billionaire many times over. Instead, she reinvested in people, through the Imagination Library, disaster relief in her home region, and support for vaccine research at Vanderbilt. I crafted my drag persona, Juicy Liu, based on Dolly’s warmth, empathy, joy and care for the community. I tell the truth, as I see it, and I have some fun doing it, both in drag and in politics.

San Francisco should hold itself to Dolly's standard.

I write this from two positions: As a candidate for District 8 Supervisor, watching extraordinary money from special interests pour into the race, and as a member of the progressive caucus of the San Francisco Democratic Party. The progressive slate of candidates ran on a platform that San Francisco should work for everyone, not just the wealthy few. During the campaign, we saw the writing on the wall as unprecedented money flooded into the 2024 elections.  This week, we are seeing the influence of billionaires on Prop. 40. 

Proposition 40, on California's November ballot, would impose a one-time 5% tax on roughly 200 billionaires. The revenue would go directly to Medi-Cal, which faces a shortfall in the tens of billions of dollars  as federal cuts take effect. Earlier this month, the California Democratic Party voted to support Prop. 40.

For years, the Democratic County Central Committee's bylaws were clear: Democrats act with one voice. We did not second guess the state party on statewide ballot propositions. That was not just a custom. It was the governing rule.

Then, on June 24, one week after Prop. 40 qualified for the ballot, the DCCC quietly changed its bylaws to let itself diverge from the state party on ballot measures. I was in that meeting. I asked directly whether a particular measure was motivating the rule change. I was told no.

This past Wednesday, Prop. 40 was the only statewide measure on the DCCC agenda. The committee voted to oppose this tax on billionaires meant to fund health care for working families.

I can't say I was surprised. The progressive caucus doesn't have the votes to move this body on its own, and I said so before the meeting. Some colleagues believe the state party's narrow vote means the matter isn't settled. Others point out that Governor Gavin Newsom and gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra oppose the measure too. There's a genuine policy debate to have.

But a rule that stood for years doesn't get rewritten a week after a specific initiative qualifies unless that initiative is part of the reason. And it's hard to ignore the timing. Opposing Prop. 40 also makes even more room for the same wealthy donor class to further distort local races like mine. 

I also reject the idea that a one-time tax on 200 billionaires would make California unlivable for the wealthy few. San Francisco and the Bay Area helped build the conditions that made this generation's fortunes possible: public universities, public infrastructure, talented workers, decades of shared investment. Many of today's AI companies were created here because of what we built together. Asking the people who benefited most to contribute a one-time 5% share isn't radical. It's a responsibility.

Health care has already taken a beating from Washington. Medi-Cal is the difference between care and crisis for millions of Californians: The home health aide, the child who needs a doctor, the senior who can't afford to go without treatment.

I know where I stand. I believe San Francisco should stand with workers, patients, and families who need Prop. 40, not with the donor class funding the campaign against it. We need to stop treating billionaire discomfort as our central political concern. Think, instead, about the people who will lose care if Medi-Cal is gutted.

Dolly used to say that if you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain. Well, the money is raining down right now, and it's coming from billionaires trying to defeat Prop. 40 and candidates like me who support it. We need to fight back. We need to be more like Dolly.