That’s the accusation at the heart of a new lawsuit by a group of community health clinics who say that Regan tried to use one of this year’s ballot initiatives, Proposition 44, to “extort” them (in the complaint’s words) and force them to unionize.
asserted
Regan → ’ → them
Proposition 44 would require community health clinics to spend at least 90% of their budgets on actual health care.
asserted
Proposition → require → care
It sounds reasonable, until you start asking where the number 90 came from.
asserted
number → sound → where
According to the lawsuit, the 90% threshold would put most of the community health clinics in California out of business.
And that’s the point.
uncertain
that → accord → business
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Regan, who is president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – United Healthcare Workers (UHW) West, wanted the clinics to allow him to unionize 25,000 workers.
asserted
him → download → workers
According to the lawsuit, Regan threatened the clinics: If they refused his terms, he would file a ballot initiative to destroy them.
uncertain
he → accord → them
And when talks broke down, that’s what he allegedly did.
uncertain
he → break → what
It’s not the first time Regan has been accused of being a bully.
asserted
Regan → ’ → ?
The lawsuit lays out similar efforts by Regan, going back more than a decade, in which he used the threat of ballot initiatives to intimidate people.
asserted
he → lay → people
Earlier this month, Regan’s colleagues at the SEIU filed complaints claiming that he had tried to intimidate other labor leaders into supporting Proposition 40, the so-called “billionaire tax,” which he is spearheading.
asserted
he → file → which
They accused Regan of intimidating labor officials, threatening them with federal investigations and even assaulting one of them — who happened to be female.
asserted
who → accuse → them
An independent investigation concluded that many of the allegations were substantiated.
asserted
many → conclude → allegations
Regan denied it all, and said that his accusers were just trying to stop the “billionaire tax.”
asserted
accusers → deny → tax
But the people who spoke out against Regan’s allegedly abusive behavior are labor leaders with ironclad credibility.
uncertain
who → speak → credibility
One of them, David Huerta, was arrested last year during a protest against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
asserted
One → arrest → Immigrations
He’s hardly a corporate shill or a MAGA plant.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
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asserted
Report → start → news
They know that seizing 5% of the wealth of the richest Californians has already led many tech entrepreneurs to leave the state.
asserted
seizing → know → state
California might even end up losing money in the long run.
uncertain
California → end → run
They also know that Regan’s own union stands to benefit directly from Proposition 40, since 90% of the money collected would be earmarked for health care spending.
asserted
% → know → spending
They have the right to have a different view.
asserted
They → have → view
That’s what Regan can’t seem to tolerate.
asserted
Regan → ’ → what
Regan has faced similar accusations before.
asserted
Regan → face → accusations
In 2016, he was accused of assaulting a process server who came to his home.
asserted
who → accuse → home
At the time, his lawyer denied the allegation and claimed the process server had intimidated Regan and his daughter.
asserted
server → deny → Regan
Ultimately, no charges were filed.
asserted
charges → file → ?
In 2018, Assembly member Richard Bloom, a Democrat from Santa Monica, reported Regan to the state Assembly Rules Committee, saying that the union leader had shoved him outside a restaurant.
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leader → report → restaurant
A union spokesperson who witnessed the confrontation said that Regan never touched Bloom, and no charges were filed.
asserted
charges → witness → Bloom
Regan also denied any wrongdoing.
asserted
Regan → deny → wrongdoing
But he clearly likes bare-knuckle tactics of the political sort.
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he → like → sort
For years, Regan has bossed his way around California, drawing on his training in New York state and his experience in the Rust Belt.
asserted
Regan → boss → Belt
He arrived in California and immediately saw the state’s ballot initiative process as the soft underbelly of democracy.
asserted
He → arrive → democracy
In election after election, he has organized initiatives on his pet priorities.
asserted
he → organize → priorities
He doesn’t always win them.
asserted
He → win → them
But he has turned ballot initiatives into weapons to increase the political power of his union — regardless of the consequences.
asserted
he → turn → consequences
The lawsuit by the community health clinics lays it all out, chapter and verse.
asserted
lawsuit → lay → it
Regan’s tactics have ordinary Californians feeling powerless, at the mercy of a powerful union bureaucracy that has become a law unto itself.
asserted
that → have → itself
And Dave Regan has been using Proposition 40 as his power play among the union elites.
asserted
Regan → use → elites
But even the unions have had enough.
asserted
unions → have → enough
Union leaders don’t like being bossed around by Dave Regan any more than business owners or health clinics do.
asserted
owners → like → Regan
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
