# California’s biggest election loser is Dave Regan, union boss who blew $47M on two failed ballot props

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/californias-biggest-election-loser-is-dave-regan-union-boss-who-blew-47m-on-two-failed-ballot-props/
- Published: 2026-11-05T00:51:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T01:22:14+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/us-news/californias-biggest-election-loser-is-dave-regan-union-boss-who-blew-47m-on-two-failed-ballot-props/
- Topics: Elections, Entertainment, Politics, TV, World

## Key points

- California voters rejected both measures backed by Dave Regan.
- Proposition 40 lost by nearly 56% to 44%.
- Regan says he may pursue another billionaire tax in 2028.

## Summary

Dave Regan, head of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, backed two California ballot measures that voters rejected, after a costly campaign that made him an unofficial symbol of the election’s biggest losses. Proposition 40, a proposed one-time tax on billionaires to help fund healthcare, was opposed by almost 56% of voters; Proposition 44, which would have required community health clinics to spend 90% of revenue on services, was rejected by 82%.

The union’s committees reported spending $37.3 million on the billionaire tax campaign and $11.1 million on Proposition 44, while opponents of the tax spent more than $330 million across committees, including over $100 million from Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Regan said he would seek another billionaire tax measure in 2028 if lawmakers did not act. His position is also under scrutiny as SEIU International considers misconduct charges; Regan denies the allegations, while an investigation corroborated some claims that he threatened union officials.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.