From Cradle to Grave: Rep Adam Gray Voted for Over $14 Billion in Higher Taxes and Fees

As Californians struggle with sky-high housing costs, gas prices, and everyday expenses, Democrat Assemblyman-turned-Congressman Adam Gray (CA-13) has demonstrated a consistent commitment to raising taxes and fees on his constituents–from cradle to grave, and apparently even beyond.

Gray voted to impose an $8.50 regulatory fee on “each reduction” of a human body through “natural organic reduction,” commonly known as human composting. The process places deceased individuals in reduction chambers where bodies  are broken down into soil through aerobic decomposition with periodic mixing.

On May 27, 2021, Gray cast an Aye vote on AB 501, which established the regulatory framework for human composting in California. The bill created standards for “reduction chambers,” required periodic mixing to ensure full decomposition, and authorized the removal of non-organic materials like surgical implants. The resulting soil could then be used in conservation areas or other permitted locations. A nearly identical measure ultimately became law with Gray’s support in 2022.

Supporters promoted the measure as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial or cremation amid concerns over climate change and sea-level rise, claiming each person choosing human composting would save the equivalent of one metric ton of carbon emissions. The legislation specifically authorized a regulatory charge “not to exceed $8.50” for each reduction performed by a licensed facility.

This fee on the dead is just one example in a much larger pattern. During his time in the California State Assembly, Adam Gray voted for more than $14 billion in higher taxes and fees across multiple legislative sessions, according to reports from the California Tax Foundation.

Everyday Items and Sales Taxes

Gray repeatedly supported local sales tax increases that hit families on everyday essentials– including toys, clothing, over-the-counter medications, pet food, and even Kombucha. Votes included AB 2920 (Tahoe/Berkeley), SB 152 (Sonoma), and AB 2453 (Ventura County), collectively adding tens of millions in annual costs to taxpayers.

Payroll Taxes on Workers

In 2022, Gray voted for SB 951, a payroll tax increase that removed the wage cap on California’s State Disability Insurance (SDI) tax, resulting in higher withholdings for workers across the state. The change took effect in 2024, expanding the tax to all taxable wages.

Healthcare Costs

Gray’s record includes multiple votes that raised costs for patients and providers:

• AB 2486: A fee on opioid drug manufacturers tied to Medi-Cal, impacting medications commonly used for cancer pain.
• SB 310: Fees on doctors distributing unused cancer medications.
• Extensions and increases on health insurance assessments (SB 406, AB 115), skilled nursing facility fees (AB 81), pediatric dental anesthesia fees (SB 501), and Medical Board licensing fees (SB 806).

These measures collectively added millions in annual costs that are ultimately passed on to patients through higher premiums and service prices.

Agriculture and Food Production

From mandatory fees on cattle sales (SB 965) to a 66% increase in the commercial feed tax (AB 657), extended fees on fruit and vegetable producers (AB 419), and grape industry assessments tied to Pierce’s Disease programs (SB 449), Gray supported measures that raise costs throughout California’s agricultural sector.

Transportation and Housing

Gray backed new taxes on Uber and Lyft rides (SB 1376, AB 1184), higher vehicle registration and smog testing fees, tire taxes, mobile home park fees, and a roughly 25% increase in Contractors State License Board fees (SB 607) that impact home construction and remodeling costs.

Funeral and End-of-Life Services

In addition to human composting fees, Gray voted for SB 1443, which raised licensing fees on funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries to address a structural deficit at the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

Beverages

Votes such as SB 452 and SB 1013 expanded and increased fees within the beverage container recycling program, affecting everything from bottled water to wine and spirits containers, further illustrating the reach of higher costs on consumer goods.

At a time when Californians are fleeing the state due to crushing costs of living, Gray’s legislative record reflects a philosophy that government revenue shortfalls should be solved by reaching deeper into taxpayers’ pockets, from cradle to grave, and apparently even beyond. The $8.50 human composting fee stands out not because it is the largest tax he supported, but because it illustrates how pervasive and unrelenting the push for higher taxes and fees has become under California Democrats like Gray.