Sen. Bernie Sanders has lashed out at deep-pocketed donors protecting their fortunes for a drop in support for the California billionaire tax.

Sanders, responding to a poll showing more voters are against the measure than in favor, claimed that West Coast billionaires had become $500 billion richer in the last year and criticized what he described as efforts to protect their fortunes while children lack healthcare.

“They are doing phenomenally well and really [it] is quite disgusting, to my mind, that they think it’s more important that they hang on to their $200 billion rather than make sure the kids of California have health care,” he told KCRA’s Ashley Zavala in an interview Sunday.

Proposition 40, described as a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires that would primarily fund healthcare, was opposed by 52.6% of voters, while 34.5% supported it and 11.5% were undecided, according to a California Post poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates. 

Sanders framed the results as part of a broader fight over wealth and access to care. “The fact of the matter is, we have more income and wealth inequality in America today,” he said. 

Pollster John McLaughlin offered a different explanation for the measure’s weakness, saying voters distrust state lawmakers on taxes. 

“Voters just don’t trust Sacramento politicians when it comes to taxes. Whenever pollsters ask should we raise taxes on billionaires? People say why not but naturally when we ask should they raise taxes on you? People say no — especially when affordability is the top issue,” said pollster John McLaughlin.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the world’s fourth-richest person, is among those who are spending money to block Proposition 40. He has spent more than $100 million opposing California’s proposed billionaire tax, which could cost him an estimated $13.3 billion.

Brin, whose fortune is estimated at about $267 billion, recently donated an additional $20 million to Build a Better California, an organization campaigning against the tax, according to a recent filing.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and cryptocurrency mogul Chris Larsen have joined him with eight-figure contributions.

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