For Garfield “Gary” Samuels, a 20-year Army veteran who now works in health care, the debate over Proposition 40 comes down to what happens when patients need care but hospitals and emergency rooms no longer have the resources to provide it.
Samuels, an Oakley resident who works at a Kaiser Permanente call center in Vallejo, is supporting the November ballot measure, which would impose a one-time 5% tax on the estimated 200 Californians whose net worth exceeded $1 billion at the beginning of 2026. The measure’s sponsor, Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, estimates the tax could generate about $100
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