Centrists Are Still Defending California Billionaires

When California Democrats met last week for the party’s executive board meeting, the question on everyone’s mind was whether they would back Proposition 40, the onetime billionaire wealth tax that has split the party in recent months. With some of the most powerful Democrats in the state opposing the measure — including Gov. Gavin Newsom and his likely successor, Xavier Becerra — it was far from certain whether the board would support it. When it came to the floor for a vote, it fell just short…