Billionaire money in US politics is exploding. In 2024, 300 billionaire families gave $3 billion in federal campaign contributions, nearly 1/5 of all donations. The cause? A 2010 Supreme Court decision called Citizens United v. FEC. 🧵

Daddy Thiel Knows Best: Peter Thiel, Ezra Klein, Dialog, and the Abundance Network @phoenixprojnow.bsky.social

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly scrambling to kill a ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on roughly 200 billionaires — raising an estimated $100 billion for Medicaid and social programs.

ICYMI: We reported for @prospect.org last week on documents obtained by @phoenixprojnow.bsky.social detailing how Silicon Valley elites view "abundance" as an avenue to advancing their political power. prospect.org/2026/06/12/n...

the author boasts about having “Flipped San Francisco Democratic Party, Flipped San Francisco Board of Supervisors … [and] Flipped Santa Monica City Council.” "We helped organize the Moderate faction that has taken power" (2/2)

In new reporting for @prospect.org, our @dylangyauchl.bsky.social details internal documents from Bay Area abundance groups pitch the movement to tech elites as a way to take control of Democratic politics and describe a 9-figure funding stream from billionaires. (1/2) prospect.org/2026/06/12/n...

Great piece by @dylangyauchl.bsky.social from @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social covering a leak we acquired that outlines the funding, political mission & agenda of the astroturf group the Abundance Network. Here’s what you need to know: 🧵 prospect.org/2026/06/12/n...

Supervisor Connie Chan defied expectations in SF's congressional race, finishing a strong 2nd with 28.7% after Nancy Pelosi's last-minute endorsement flipped the script. She's headed to the November runoff.

Supervisor Connie Chan defied expectations in SF's congressional race, finishing a strong 2nd with 28.7% after Nancy Pelosi's last-minute endorsement flipped the script. She's headed to the November runoff.

Top recipients Adrian Smith (R-NE), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), have received a combined total of nearly $4 million in donations and super PAC support since 2023. But beyond these four, over a dozen members from both parties have received at least $10,000.

Ian Firstenberg has covered FLOCK surveillance for 48Hills AND @phoenixprojnow.bsky.social and we discussed why cities keep canceling their contracts with the shady company on the new Sad Francisco ep., up all the podcast platforms - and on YouTube: youtu.be/-G2cZDMDBqg?...

Help me buy some chapstick: Patreon.com/sadfrancisco & Follow @phoenixprojnow.bsky.social / pu.ml

Why tech found rare success in California’s down-ballot races

Bay Area Primary Results & What Big Money Bought 🧵

A wealthy tech and real estate network is pouring millions into SF's June 2026 elections, backing candidates, funding PACs, and fighting a CEO tax. Here's who's spending and why 🧶

Flock has denied feeding data to ICE & law enforcement when credible reports have proven otherwise & now they're actively training police to sway key decision-makers to buy their tech. Flock has over 300 scanners in Oakland alone. oaklandside.org/2026/05/28/f...

The "Astroturf Network" — a wealthy conservative political network in SF — has poured $150K into prosecutor Phoebe Maffei's campaign for Superior Court judge. She's outraised her opponent 5-to-1.

From D5 Fellow to leading budget advocacy for the People's Budget Coalition, Anya Worley-Ziegmann is a brilliant powerhouse who is deeply committed to making the budget work for the people of San Francisco. Thanks for all your great work, Anya!

California's labor unions are pushing a Billionaire Tax Act for Nov 2026: a one-time 5% tax on residents worth $1B+. If passed, the tax will fund $100B in healthcare, education & food aid gutted by Trump's federal cuts.

A new progressive group in S.F. is organizing in the Sunset, with a forum billed to “Stop the Billionaire Takeover.” Former D4 supe Gordon Mar said he wants to “challenge the stereotype” that the Sunset is politically conservative. by @junyaoyang.bsky.social missionlocal.org/2026/05/sf-s...

NEW: Why would a progressive—CA State Sen Scott Wiener, the leading candidate for Nancy Pelosi's seat—oppose two progressive taxes on billionaires that would help fund healthcare for Californians? For an answer, I looked at Wiener's biggest donors. @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2026/05/14/s...

Last week, local billionaire-backed dark money organization Neighbors for a Better San Francisco hosted a policy forum with the American Enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank.🧵 missionlocal.org/2026/05/cons...

SF Mayor Lurie runs a slick political machine with heavy social media investment, wealthy allies, and a carefully crafted image. But beneath the spin, his governance leans sharply conservative on housing, homelessness, and crime.

SF voters: Prop D (the Overpaid CEO Tax) is on the June ballot. It taxes large companies (1,000+ employees, $1B+ revenue) where CEOs earn 100x more than the median SF worker's pay. Here's what you need to know.

Who is Jan Koum? If you’ve gotten campaign literature from SF Believes recently, you might see under the top donors listed the business Manzanita Management/Action Fund. Both companies are run by billionaire WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum.🪡 missionlocal.org/2026/04/sf-j...

SF District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill owes his political career to billionaire Michael Bloomberg. His father's donations to Bloomberg opened doors, landing Sherrill a job as a Bloomberg aide straight out of college.

Palantir must be destroyed. My interview with @cydhayes.bsky.social of the @sf.gazetteer.co sf.gazetteer.co/reading-pala...

The Nerd Reich is essential reading/viewing for those who want to understand and resist techno-fascism

The mighty @gilduran.com, one of the great modern chroniclers of the broligarchy, was suspended from Twitter for the tweet below against Palantir! He joins The Left Hook at 530 pm ET @tparsi.bsky.social joins us at 6 pm ET to discuss the Iran War debacle. thelefthook.substack.com No paywalls.

Today Andreessen Horowitz launched MTS (Monitoring the Situation), a new NEWS STATION -- on today, their soft launch day, they have featured the Network State, Balaji Srinivasan, Marc Andreessen - signing the cornerstone x.com/mtslive

As corporations and their lobbyists tighten their grip on San Francisco, a new progressive media collective known as PUML is trying to change the narrative. sf.gazetteer.co/dean-preston...

Phil Kim, SF School Board president, has a controversial background: 11 years at KIPP, the largest charter school network in North America, before leading SF's unpopular school closure effort.

Good to see this. Which state will be next?

The Sanders Institute hosts Sen. Bernie Sanders, Congressman Ro Khanna, and Naomi Klein for a livestreamed discussion exploring "the progressive vision for artificial intelligence and robotics, and where we go from here" at 3:00 pm ET:

David Sacks’ time as Crypto and AI Czar may be over but he is still a major player in federal tech policy. As he transitions roles, it's a good time to take a look at the disastrous policy decisions he's overseen so far.

A fascinating 3-way Democratic primary is heating up in San Francisco to replace Nancy Pelosi. The race reflects bigger battles within the Democratic Party itself. Here's what you need to know👇

“We should be investing in the systems that make this city livable, not undercutting one of the few revenue sources that’s actually delivering.” @ksmeallie.bsky.social

Surprising nobody, Chronicle endorses Bloomberg’s guy. You know, the YIMBY-endorsed candidate who opposes housing development in his back yard. Can’t make this stuff up.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, is laying off 127 city workers across 18 departments. It’s the first wave of 500 planned cuts to address a projected $1B budget shortfall.🧵 www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m...

This isn't an easy fight. Like Big Tech, which created many billionaires’ fortunes, AI is a complicated enemy. But "the one thing for sure that we start off with is that AI and robotics cannot simply benefit the richest people in the world," he told TNR's Perry Bacon. trib.al/R8MXImg

This is the Network State cult in action. It calls for tech moguls use their wealth to buy their own versions of media, political power, cities, countries, educational institutions, etc. The stated goal is to create an entirely "parallel" system. www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...

SF District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio was recalled after prioritizing wealthy donors over constituents. He backed closure of the Great Highway, a move opposed by most Sunset District residents.

San Francisco is losing California College of the Arts (CCA), a nearly 120-year-old cultural institution. Its campus will be taken over by Vanderbilt University, a Nashville-based school better known for baseball than Bay Area values.🧵

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, sworn in just over a year ago promising "accountability and change," has faced a string of scandals that even a $500K PR campaign can't hide. 🧵

The tech conservatives have found their guy, and they are throwing obscene amounts of money behind him, but nobody likes him and he’s polling at 3%

Make sure you sign up for this, it's gonna be a real good look at what is going on. It is taking place this Saturday, an online teach in, with another contributor to vcinfodocs 💗 Leftists this is for you because it presents these topics with a leftist analysis.

It was great to do my first-ever podcast with the incomparable Mia Wong of It Could Happen Here on venture capital and tech fascism. It's out now!!! www.iheart.com/podcast/105-...

Good to see some coverage of the disingenuous Lurie/Mahmood tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. These politicians are trying to sell a giveaway to office building owners as a tax cut to spur housing construction, even though most of the tax break has nothing to do with residential construction.