UMVA has learned that California Governor Gavin Newsom is poised to unleash a 100% tax on any Californian who receives money from the newly created Anti‑Weaponization Fund.
At a press conference, Newsom declared, “Anyone from California that receives any of those funds will be taxed in full, and the state is ready to act.” He framed the measure as a direct response to a $1.78 billion pool he calls a “boondoggle” designed to reward allies of the former president.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the fund was established amid a settlement that also granted pardons to over 1,500 participants in the Jan. 6 attack, prompting the governor to label the payouts a “double‑handed gift” to those who assaulted law enforcement.
Critics on the right have seized on Newsom’s move, accusing him of hypocrisy and pointing to his own controversial spending programs. They cite a $25 million legal defense fund that Newsom launched to fight what he described as “legal warfare” from the federal administration, branding it a “slush fund.”
Further scrutiny resurfaced from the 2021 recall effort, when investigations revealed billions in emergency COVID‑19 contracts awarded without competition to firms tied to political donors and insiders.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the governor’s tax proposal arrives as California grapples with an expected $2.9 billion shortfall in the 2027 budget, a gap amplified by costly, unfinished projects such as the $128 billion high‑speed rail venture and a wildlife crossing bridge now $21 million over budget.
Supporters of the Anti‑Weaponization Fund argue it is nonpartisan, yet Democratic lawmakers in other states have already introduced parallel legislation to block the fund or impose a full tax on its proceeds.
The clash underscores a broader battle over who controls the flow of taxpayer dollars, with California’s own fiscal challenges now intertwined with a national controversy that could reshape political financing for years to come.
