Deep Inside the Chaotic Politics of the California Billionaire Tax

Out here in California, Democracy is a monthslong slog. The state effectively began engaging in big-D Democracy sometime around January—that’s when California’s ballot measures were gathering signatures. Every time you went to Ralphs or Vons, you could linger outside in the perpetual sunshine, pick up a box of Girl Scout cookies—and scribble your signature onto the latest ballot initiative. The people gathering those signatures are often gig workers, paid for each John Hancock they wrangle. They...