Dave Regan, the president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West and one of California's most powerful labor figures, is facing findings from two independent investigations that concluded he threatened and intimidated women within his own union network while pushing for support of a statewide billionaire tax measure. Four labor officials filed formal charges against Regan in February 2026, setting off a monthslong inquiry into his conduct.
The national SEIU investigation was conducted by New York-based labor law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon and submitted July 28, 2026, while a parallel inquiry was led by Los Angeles firm Barboza & Associates on behalf of SEIU California, according to Quartz. Investigators with the national law firm interviewed 18 people as part of their review, and concluded that a proposal tying Regan's political demands to internal union business was likely extortion. As reported by the New York Post, Regan is accused of threatening and intimidating women employed by the council and of trying to strong-arm an endorsement from the SEIU state council for Proposition 40, the ballot measure known as the billionaire tax.
Regan has denied the allegations, according to the Post's reporting, and has called the claims a coordinated fabrication tied to his advocacy for the tax measure. He has remained president of SEIU-UHW throughout the investigations, though he has been temporarily barred from SEIU California's offices, a restriction intended to protect female employees.
Threats, an Airport Warning, and a January Deadline
Investigators detailed a series of specific encounters. David Huerta, president of SEIU United Service Workers West, said Regan raised unspecified governance issues in a December 3, 2025 conversation and demanded a full endorsement of the billionaire tax initiative by the state council by January 1, telling Huerta this left him feeling extorted, per the Post's account.
Tia Orr, executive director of SEIU California, said Regan told her the state council had to endorse the measure by January 1 or he would come for her. Regan sat beside Orr on a flight and, she said, followed her to the airport, tapping his watch as they separated in what she understood as a warning that her time was running out. Regan has called Orr's allegations completely fabricated.
The national union's law firm concluded that Regan likely threatened to trigger a federal investigation unless the SEIU California state council endorsed Proposition 40. A representative of the state council rejected a proposal to exchange dropping internal misconduct charges for a political endorsement, and a Regan representative separately offered to withdraw part of a counterclaim against the state council if it endorsed billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer for governor.
A 2009 Assault Allegation Resurfaces
Courtni Pugh, a former SEIU California executive director, said Regan kicked open her office door in 2009, pushed her against a wall, pressed a finger into her chest and called her a “dumb ass.” She said she told colleagues and organization leaders about the encounter when it occurred, and said union officials had known about it for years. National union investigators found Pugh's account of the alleged assault credible.
Pugh later worked as a political consultant opposing Proposition 40, which led Regan to claim her allegations were politically motivated — a claim the national investigators rejected. Separately, national union investigators found that Regan allegedly threatened to sue SEIU Local 221 President Crystal Irving to prevent her from informing colleagues about Pugh's 2009 allegations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Times also reports that Regan is accused of intimidating Jessica Bartholow, a government relations director, during a March fundraiser in San Diego — an allegation a separate investigation substantiated. Regan has dismissed the broader political shakedown allegation as a complete fabrication.
Billionaire Tax at the Center of the Feud
Proposition 40, the billionaire tax at the heart of the dispute, is a proposed tax of up to 5% on billionaires' wealth intended to fund state health-care costs and could raise about $100 billion. Under the measure, billionaires could pay the tax in five installments with a 7.5% deferral charge, while up to $5 million of other assets would be exempt, according to details reviewed on YouTube.
A Regan representative offered to withdraw part of a counterclaim against the state council if it endorsed billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer for governor — a claim that fuels the debate over whether the measure was pure policy or a bargaining chip. Opponents of Proposition 40 have since qualified two counter-measures, Propositions 41 and 42, for the November 2026 ballot, which contain provisions that would void the billionaire tax if either counter-measure wins a higher total “yes” vote, the Times reported.
The SEIU California state council voted in July 2026 to remain neutral on Proposition 40, a setback for Regan and the measure's supporters. Regan has continued to publicly champion the initiative regardless and attended a Politico summit in Sacramento on August 11, 2026. Healthcare workers and supporters held Billionaire Tax Now coalition placards during an April 27, 2026 media briefing in Los Angeles.
A Democratic Party Divided
The political stakes extend well beyond union politics. The executive board of the California Democratic Party voted in August 2026 to officially endorse Proposition 40, creating a direct rift with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who has publicly opposed the wealth tax, according to the Times.
As president of SEIU-UHW, Regan has repeatedly qualified statewide ballot initiatives as leverage against healthcare entities, including placing kidney dialysis regulation measures on the ballot in 2018, 2020, and 2022, according to the Times and background compiled on Wikipedia. SEIU-UHW represents healthcare workers, and figures for its membership, annual budget, and Regan's 2025 compensation are not stated here.
National union investigators are preparing an evidentiary hearing involving Regan, though a timeline for any final disciplinary action has not been disclosed. The labor-backed push for the billionaire tax included a Bernie Sanders' Koreatown rally and the broader statewide organizing effort tied to the measure.
