Protesters gathered outside the Tesla Palo Alto Showroom and Service Center for the Billionaire Takedown demonstration on Saturday afternoon. The gathering, organized by Indivisible Palo Alto Plus, coincided with National No Kings Day and drew over 120 demonstrators. Participants crowded the sidewalk along El Camino Real, holding signs advocating for Proposition 40 and drawing engagement from cars passing by.
Ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, protesters expressed strong support for Proposition 40. If passed, the initiative will impose a one-time 5% tax on California residents and certain trusts with assets over $1 billion to fund state healthcare, food assistance programs, and public education.
Attendees brought tambourines, guitars, and megaphones, layering noise atop the almost constant stream of honks from supporting drivers. Two musicians played a short melody about the release of the Epstein files.
Among those standing on the sidewalk was retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell, a longtime local civil rights advocate. Cordell framed the demonstration as a critical effort to defend democratic norms.
“I came out here because it’s No Kings National Day, and I want to preserve our democracy because I think we’re in danger of losing it,” Cordell said. “The only way we’re going to keep it is to vote. Voting is the most important thing we could do. It’s our voice.”
Throughout the protest, Cordell repeatedly chanted into a megaphone, prompting waves and nods from nearby drivers. “It is on all of us to save this democracy,” she said. “Your vote is your superpower.”
Protester David Page carried a sign advocating for the passage of Prop. 40 and the rejection of Propositions 41 and 42, which would invalidate the measures implemented by the former. Placed on the ballot in direct opposition to Prop. 40, Prop. 41 states that new taxes cannot exceed the California spending cap, effectively nullifying the proposed tax on billionaires, which would exceed the cap if implemented. If Prop. 42 is passed, Prop. 40 will similarly be outlawed, as the preceding will ban new state taxes enacted on or after Jan. 1, 2026 on “ownership,” including 401(k)s, IRAs, stocks, bank savings, investment portfolios, and other forms of personal wealth.
Page attributes resistance to Prop. 40 to California billionaires’ inherent desire to keep their wealth.
“[Billionaires] say, ‘This is my money. I don’t want to share.’ A lot of people have that attitude about money,” Page said. “They’re billionaires, they should want to share more than me or you. But I think it’s human nature to want to keep what you got.”
“I kind of remember, like a decade or two ago, we had a whole bunch of rich people who were creating museums, hospitals that were doing good for the community,” another demonstrator added. “[We] were like, ‘Okay, you worked hard, you got your money, but you’re still giving back.’ These guys are not. These guys are all holding it for themselves. So I think we need to pass the tax to get that money out of their hands.”
Another protester agreed with the intent of Prop. 40, but opposed implementation in its current state. “The law is so poorly written, it’ll be hung up in court. It won’t even be able to be enforced, and it just ruffles a lot of feathers in the wrong way,” the demonstrator said. “It’s worth taking the time to think thoughtfully and write an intentional bill that will accomplish the task in the correct manner, where the tax genuinely goes to the benefit of people in some logical way.”
The same protester brought flyers and flip phones directed to the voicemail of Republican senator Mitch McConnell to boost progressive engagement. McConnell, a longtime Republican Senate leader and influential figure in conservative politics, has opposed proposals to increase taxes on the wealthy. The protester explained that leaving voicemails is another effective method of furthering progressive impact.
Camel Case hashtags, with phrases including “No Kings,” “Take Back Congress,” and “Vote Early,” were printed on each flyer to capture the attention of bots when posted on social media. “I had to learn how bots think,” the demonstrator said. “If you upload [a picture with the flyer] with the tags and the sign actually has the tags, that amplifies the effect. If you just stand here on a corner holding a thing and people honk, it doesn’t count.”
This event is part of a series of recurring demonstrations held outside the Tesla showroom every Saturday. One organizer explained the significance of the location, stating that the protests were largely prompted by Elon Musk’s involvement in the 2024 election. “Elon, he gave us a reason to say, ‘Hey, you know what? We’re not going to be doomscrolling on the couch. We’re going to meet our friends. We’re going to meet our neighbors. We’re going to hang out with our family members and get active. Get our feet in the street,’” the organizer said.
“It’s time for [billionaires] to pay their shares. There’s about 200 billionaires, and they’re scared,” the protester added. “They’re afraid because whatever happens in California on Nov. 3 is going to send shockwaves throughout the whole country.”
The next Billionaire Takedown protest will occur outside the Tesla showroom on Monday at 5 p.m.
The full protest calendar is at https://indivisiblepaloaltoplus.org/join-an-event.
