California Governor Will Sign Legislation Requiring Tax Returns For Presidential & Gubernatorial Candidates

Donald Trump

Journalist Yashar Ali reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom of California will sign a recently passed bill that will require presidential and gubernatorial candidates to submit five years of tax returns in order to be on a primary ballot.

The bill, known as SB-27, passed the California Assembly and Senate earlier this month. The law would require candidates for U.S. president and California governor to submit their five most recent years of tax returns, with sensitive information like Social Security numbers redacted. The state would then publish those returns for the public to review. If a candidate for either of those offices refused to submit their returns, they would not be listed on the primary ballot.

This is unquestionably a bill directed toward and inspired by President Donald Trump’s refusal to release copies of his tax returns. When Newsom signs the bill today, California will become the first state to require such a disclosure by law.

All of the major Democratic presidential candidates have released years’ worth of tax returns, and when Newsom ran for governor in 2018, he allowed reporters to review six years of his tax returns.