An independent investigation has substantiated allegations that Dave Regan, president of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, pressured labor officials while seeking support for California’s proposed wealth tax, according to a report released Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. The investigation found that Regan warned one labor leader he could pursue a U.S. Department of Labor investigation if the SEIU State Council did not endorse the tax. The council, an umbrella group that includes Regan’s union, ultimately remained neutral. Investigators also found that Regan told another SEIU official he was “coming for” her if she did not support an endorsement. The report said the official had a reasonable basis to feel threatened because of Regan’s history of verbally and physically intimidating colleagues. The report determined that a former labor official’s account of a past confrontation was “materially accurate,” based on interviews with multiple people. It said Regan, angry over the handling of a ballot measure, kicked in the official’s office door, pinned her against a wall and berated her. Regan later threatened to sue a person who described the alleged incident for defamation. The investigation did not substantiate a separate claim that complaints against Regan were politically motivated retaliation intended to undermine the wealth-tax campaign. SEIU-UHW rejected the findings, describing the allegations as an effort by wealthy and powerful interests to derail Proposition 40, the proposed tax measure. The union said past verbal disputes had been taken out of context and pledged to continue pursuing the initiative, which it says would help protect hospitals, emergency rooms and health care services. Regan has denied the allegations of threats and physical assault. A spokesperson for SEIU California said union leaders had filed charges accusing him of bullying, threats, harassment, violence and attempted extortion. “We stand with women, women of color, workers, and all those who have been bullied or oppressed by those who have power over them,” spokesperson Christopher Calhoun said in a statement. “Enough!” SEIU International, the union’s larger parent organization, said it has hired outside investigators. The process is continuing and is expected to include a hearing officer and an evidentiary hearing, with the parties given an opportunity to present their cases. The findings land as California’s labor movement is divided over the wealth-tax proposal. The California Labor Federation has endorsed it, while major unions including the California Teachers Association oppose it. Regan has continued promoting the measure despite those divisions and has linked its political support to broader fights over endorsements and union discipline. The investigation also examined an arrangement in which SEIU-UHW sought a State Council endorsement of gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, the only Democratic candidate identified as supporting the wealth tax, while offering to withdraw its own allegation that investigations of Regan amounted to political retaliation. Investigators did not substantiate Regan’s retaliation claim. Regan has been a prominent and often combative figure in California politics, particularly in campaigns built around ballot measures. Previous allegations have accused him of shoving a lawmaker and assaulting a process server, claims his representatives have called exaggerated and defamatory. A 2018 lawsuit, later settled confidentially, alleged that he presided over a workplace culture marked by intimidation and discrimination.