Labor groups blast Brown’s fundraising from the ‘1%’

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Gov. Jerry Brown has courted a coalition of business and labor groups to back his November initiative that would raise taxes on sales and upper incomes. Now, some on the left are lashing out at the governor’s plan, and his early donors, reaffirming their intent to place a competing tax measure on the ballot this fall.

The governor has said repeatedly he wants his initiative to be the only tax-increase proposal before voters in November. But thus far, he has been unable to get some of his fellow Democrats to step aside.

Civil rights attorney Molly Munger continues to fund her proposal to hike income taxes across the board to raise more money for schools. Another initiative backed by the California Federation of Teachers, which would raise taxes on upper incomes exclusively, received new public backing from the California Nurses Assn. this week, and backers of that plan blasted Brown’s proposal in an email to supporters.

In a fundraising letter, leaders of the Courage Campaign and the California Federation of Teachers criticized Brown, though not by name, for raising money from large corporations.

“The 1% doesn’t want to pay their fair share, so they’re going to make 100% of Californians pay it for them,” wrote Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs and the California Federation of Teachers’ Josh Peschalt in an email to supporters.

Brown has raised about $2 million from a variety of interests, including tribal governments, oil companies and organized labor. He has said he hopes to raise as much as $30 million for his campaign, and will reach out to business and union leaders for political and financial support.

RELATED:

Jerry Brown’s tax initiative rivals not backing down

Jerry Brown’s tax proposal has broad support, poll finds

Donations pour in for Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative

-- Anthony York in Sacramento