California Voice: Since political division only benefits billionaires, we need to come together

Headlines proclaimed that California shifted to the right, that our values of inclusion and care are to blame. Centrist Democrats and conservative pundits alike claim the Democratic Party has gone too far to the left.

This oversimplified narrative overlooks an important red flag: the unchecked power of corporate billionaires who spent heavily peddling lies and misinformation. Even worse, it succeeds in doing precisely what the political right and Trump want — to divide working people, blame immigrants and other vulnerable Californians, while billionaires line their pocketbooks.

The $259 million that Elon Musk spent to get Trump elected and buy his role in the administration has been well covered, as has the role of venture capitalist Peter Theil in bankrolling JD Vance’s political career.

What received less attention was the mountain of money that corporate giants in real estate, retail and oil spent on this election to mislead voters and protect their bottom lines.

In Oakland, for example, a single billionaire funded the mayoral recall campaign, while a consortium of wealthy investors spent heavily to target progressive district attorneys in Los Angeles and Alameda County. Real estate corporations and business groups spent hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat ballot measures that would have raised wages for hard-working people, protected renters and made it easier to build more affordable housing — all while claiming that they were good guys looking out for renters and workers.

Instead of pointing to corporate billionaires who cost the state wins on pocketbook issues like affordable housing and minimum wage, some centrist Democrats are joining Trump and conservative media in blaming immigrants, transgender kids and poor people.

The election outcome has serious consequences for our communities. Trump overstates his mandate — the near-final vote counts show that he leads Harris by only 1.5%, one of the smallest popular vote wins in U.S. history. But there can never be a mandate for the level of cruelty Trump is threatening to unleash, and we know he will rule like an authoritarian.

Democratic insiders and establishment leaders need to stop the blame game and roll up their sleeves to get to work. Trump is coming for everyone. Leaders need to focus on protecting and defending communities that we know will be under attack.

The Democratic Party needs to acknowledge that voters’ economic anxieties and fears are driven by genuine consequences of policies advanced by corporate billionaires. California leaders need to accelerate progress on an economic agenda for working people that delivers concrete improvements to our lives — affordable housing, health care, higher wages and a stronger safety net for our families.

When voters feel abandoned by our government, they are less likely to identify with the government as an extension and expression of their democratic power. They are less likely to vote and more susceptible to authoritarian appeals. The best defense against Trumpism is showing that government can improve the lives of all Californians — from small business owners to farm workers, from educators to tech workers, and from the service industry workforce to gig workers.

We Are California strives to be a home for people who are sick of politics as usual and who believe in our state’s values of community and inclusion. Bringing together Californians from every walk of life to protect and defend California against the worst of the coming federal policy, and to advance state policies that serve the majority of Californians, this is what people want — not an agenda of corporate billionaires.

In a time when so many are being pushed to think only of themselves, there is a different path: one where we stand together, fight together and win together. This isn’t the moment to back down — it’s the moment to double-down. The future of California’s multiracial democracy depends on it.

John Kim is the president and CEO of Catalyst California. He is a founding partner of We Are California. Sabrina Smith is the CEO of California Calls. She is a founding partner of We Are California. Distributed by CalMatters.org.