Opinion | Gavin Newsom Finally Finds a Tax Increase He Doesn’t Like

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is laying the groundwork to run for president in 2024. That may explain why he is opposing Proposition 30, a November ballot measure that would raise the Golden State’s already punishing top 13.3% income-tax rate to subsidize electric vehicles.

“Prop. 30 is a Trojan horse that puts corporate welfare above the fiscal welfare of our entire state,” Mr. Newsom says in a TV ad. No, he hasn’t been struck by a bright light on the road to the White House. His opposition seems to have less to do with the harm the tax hike would do to his state than with who is opposing it: the California Teachers Association and wealthy liberal donors.