California Labor Leader Backing Billionaire Tax Faces Harassment and Intimidation Accusations

A prominent California labor leader spearheading a controversial ballot initiative to tax the state's wealthiest residents is facing serious accusations of intimidating, threatening, and harassing female colleagues across an affiliated union. The allegations center on Dave Regan, the long-serving president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, who has emerged as the principal champion of the upcoming tax measure.

The allegations are laid out in an extensive internal investigative report that was commissioned by SEIU California and subsequently obtained by The Associated Press. The document, which was initially reported on by the Los Angeles Times, compiles testimony from both current and former union staff members, detailing multiple confrontations over political alignment and organizational support.

At the heart of the surrounding political tension is Proposition 40, a high-profile measure slated for the November ballot. If approved by voters, the proposal would levy a one-time 5% tax on California's billionaire class. The revenue generated from this levy is intended to offset recent reductions in federal financial support for healthcare programs serving low-income individuals and families throughout the state.

While Proposition 40 was conceived to safeguard vital safety-net healthcare services, it has opened a significant schism within the state's Democratic establishment and disrupted standard labor coalitions. Although Regan's specific union branch strongly endorses the tax policy, the broader umbrella group, SEIU California, has pointedly withheld its backing, highlighting an uncommon breach between traditionally allied union bodies.

According to the findings in the investigative document, Regan used aggressive and coercive tactics to force other labor representatives into backing the measure. Specifically, the report recounts a December interaction involving Tia Orr, the executive director of SEIU California, who stated that Regan demanded her organization formally endorse the billionaire tax initiative by January 1.

Orr told investigators that Regan warned her, "I'm coming for you," if the deadline was not met. In the wake of that conversation, Orr shared with colleagues that she felt genuinely unsafe in her role. She also became aware of additional accounts from other female union leaders and staff who described being subjected to berating and menacing interactions by Regan.

Following the compilation of these accounts, SEIU California escalated the matter by lodging formal charges against Regan with the SEIU International Union. The filed complaint charges the local union president with engaging in a documented pattern of bullying, extortionate tactics, and direct threats toward colleagues during internal deliberations.

The investigative report also incorporates historical accusations dating back more than fifteen years, involving former executive director Courtni Pugh before her resignation in 2009. Pugh informed investigators that during an earlier political dispute within the organization, Regan engaged in an alarming physical and verbal outburst directed at her inside the union's offices.

According to Pugh's account in the report, Regan became intensely enraged, shouted profanities, and kicked open her office door. He then allegedly backed her against a bookcase while screaming that she lacked the requisite toughness for her administrative position. These older allegations were presented as evidence of a longstanding behavioral pattern spanning multiple years.

Responding to Regan's dismissal of her account, Pugh issued a statement describing his pushback as deeply offensive to the women who have experienced his menacing conduct over the years. She noted that she had reported the incident to fellow union members when it occurred and maintained that her participation in the current investigation was motivated by a desire to prevent others from enduring similar mistreatment.

For his part, Regan addressed the findings during a public news conference, offering a partial admission while firmly rejecting the most severe claims. Although he conceded to using profanity when speaking with other labor leaders, he emphatically denied ever committing physical assault, stating that while he takes responsibility for his actual words and actions, he refuses to accept outright falsehoods.

Officials from Regan's union, SEIU-UHW, mounted a robust defense, characterizing the release of the report—which had been completed in June—as a politically motivated effort designed to sabotage Proposition 40. Union representatives asserted that wealthy opponents of the tax measure were actively working to derail the initiative by publicizing the inquiry ahead of the critical November election.

In an official statement defending its leader, SEIU-UHW argued that the report unfairly pieced together disconnected verbal exchanges spanning nearly two decades. The union maintained that these past interactions had been systematically stripped of their original context in order to construct a misleading and fabricated narrative regarding the organization's executive leadership.

SEIU-UHW further questioned the motives behind the historical claims, labeling Pugh's account a trumped-up accusation from 17 years ago. The union pointed out that the political firm currently employing Pugh has performed work for organizations actively opposing the billionaire tax, suggesting a potential conflict of interest, though Pugh did not immediately comment on her firm's involvement.

Conversely, leaders at SEIU California defended their handling of the inquiry, declaring that confronting such behavior is essential to preserving institutional standards of fairness, equity, and workplace respect. The organization stated that just as it urges union members to stand up to power and oppose abuse, its leadership is compelled to draw a line against improper conduct.