Tax-the-Rich Campaigns Arise Across US as Billionaires Push Back

A California campaign to tax the personal wealth of billionaires is kicking into high gear, just as similar measures across the US are starting to gather steam.

In Washington state, where income taxes have long been anathema, there is talk of a new levy on top earners. And in Texas, where some wealthy people have fled to avoid higher taxes elsewhere, a candidate for Congress is drawing attention with a call for the rich to pay more.

Backers of the California effort threw a raucous coming-out party last week, even though many obstacles — including opposition from Governor Gavin ...