Folks are debating whether this is satire or a bit, astroturfing or a corporate front group, or an authentic effort to protect billionaires (weird)
I study astroturfing and corporate disinformation campaigns - I have an ongoing project on ballot measure astroturfing - so let's nerd out on this
We've received a lot of comments from the Bluesky community tonight, so we want to take the time to clarify our positions.
There are a couple places I like to start when investigating whether an effort is authentic acticism or bankrolled by wealthy interests
This seems to be tied to a potential ballot measure for Nov 2026 - California One-Time Wealth Tax for State-Funded Health Care Programs Initiative (#25-0024)
Feb 1, 2026 19:24Ballotpedia is a good source for starting info. They track who supports and opposes initiatives. For this one, it looks like there are no known ballot measure committees yet - although there are groups publicly opposing it
California One-Time Wealth Tax for State-Funded Health Care Programs Initiative (2026)
Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics
I also like to check state campaign finance databases. Luckily, the one for CA is pretty easy to use (not all states are)
Because it's so early in the process - it's not even an approved ballot measure - there's no info yet
powersearch.sos.ca.gov/advanced.phpAdvanced Search-Power Search-California Secretary of State
If the initiative does get approved for the ballot, there are campaign finance laws that have to be followed (good handbook linked)
Once it's an official ballot measure, we should see finance filings start to come through and it will be easier to track who is supporting and opposing the measure
https://afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CA-Ballot-Initiative-7.30.20-2.pdf
Let's look at the website
There's 0 info on who's behind it. Not even false info making claims of being something they're not
That's quite fishy, even for front groups
marchforbillionaires.org
March for Billionaires — San Francisco, Feb 7
Stand up for the entrepreneurs, innovators, and risk-takers who build our economy. February 7, 2026.
Authentic organizations usually say who they are, even if they don't name specific people
Front groups often make false claims of who they are and can be quite over the top about it
Let's look at one of my favorite examples: Citizens for Fire Safety
web.archive.org/web/20100102...Citizens for Fire Safety makes a big show of listing respected professions as coalition members and never once names who they really are - the three largest manufacturers of flame retardant chemicals
Front groups do this to create a false sense of legitimacy and craft a veneer of credibility
So the March for Billionaires website having no info on who they are raises flags for me - it doesn't look like most front groups I come across
They're also not trying to collect any info. There's no way to get updates, nothing to sign up for
And I question whether they have needed permits
If someone was feeling really industrious, they could call the appropriate San Francisco Police District Stations to see if permits have been pulled
The march starts at a city park and ends at the civic center - a 40+ minute walk away. Permits would be needed for start and end, plus the streets?
So, all this combined - I'm leaning towards either a bit or an industrious individual who is (oddly) passionate about techbro billionaires
So far, it doesn't look like what I would expect to see from a corporate front group or a hired PR firm's astroturf campaign
Time will tell
