According to The Wall Street Journal, Google co-founder Sergey Brin has made a $20 million contribution to a new California political group called Building a Better California. The nonpartisan nonprofit, which also received $15 million from eight other executives including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and VC Michael Moritz, aims to tackle housing affordability and livability. The group has already spent $11 million in January supporting two ballot measure drives: $6 million for middle-class down-payment assistance and $5 million to reform a state environmental law that slows construction. This massive financial push comes as California’s richest residents, including Brin who is now listed as living in Reno, Nevada, debate a proposed 5% annual tax on billionaire assets, an initiative that needs about 875,000 signatures to reach the November ballot.
Brin’s Bet and the Tax Threat
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just philanthropy. It’s a strategic, defensive political play. The group had apparently been in discussions for a while about “preserving California’s culture of innovation,” but the proposed billionaire wealth tax—which would hit assets, not just income—”accelerated the group’s timeline.” That’s a huge tell. When you’re talking about a 5% annual levy on your total net worth, a $20 million donation to influence policy starts to look like a calculated insurance premium. And a pretty cheap one at that. The tax would apply to residents as of January 1st, which explains the sudden urgency and maybe even Brin’s own change of residency. It’s a classic move: use capital to shape the political landscape in a way that, ostensibly for the public good, also protects your own position.
The Housing Play and Real Impact
So what are they actually funding? The two initiatives they’re backing are fascinating. One is straightforward populist policy: help the middle class with down payments. The other is a direct attack on a sacred cow: the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). For decades, CEQA has been used not just to protect the environment, but to stall all kinds of development. The tech elite, who need housing for their workforce and infrastructure for their companies, have identified it as a major bottleneck. Pouring $5 million into an effort to “reform” it is a clear signal they want to build, and build fast. But will streamlining construction actually make housing more affordable, or just more plentiful for well-paid tech employees? It’s a valid question.
A Broader Tech Power Shift
This is part of a much bigger story. For years, Silicon Valley’s political engagement was haphazard—mostly focused on federal issues like immigration or net neutrality. Now, you’re seeing billionaires like Brin, who has generally kept a low political profile, get directly involved in state-level, bricks-and-mortar governance. They’re not just threatening to leave; they’re writing huge checks to try to remake the place in their image. They’re framing it as “improving quality of life,” which isn’t wrong, but it’s also deeply self-interested. A state with functional housing and infrastructure is better for their businesses and their legacies. It’s a new phase of political maturation for the tech founder class, moving from disruptive rhetoric to wielding old-fashioned financial clout in the policy arena.
What Happens Next?
Basically, we’re set for a colossal spending battle. On one side, you have a healthcare union pushing a wealth tax to fund Medicaid. On the other, you have billionaires funding ballot measures to reshape housing policy. The union has to gather those signatures first, which is a huge hurdle. But if the wealth tax makes the ballot, expect the financial floodgates to open against it. Brin’s $20 million might just be the opening salvo. The real test will be whether Building a Better California’s proposals gain traction with voters beyond the Bay Area bubble. Can “CEQA reform” be sold as a pro-affordability measure to the average Californian? Or does it look like a giveaway to developers? The answers will determine if this $35 million is the start of a new political force or just a very expensive footnote.
