Californians are being asked to approve a tax hike this election, but KTVU discovered the state is being cheated out of millions of tax dollars every year by its own citizens.

KTVU reviewed the top 500 tax deadbeats, a list published by the state Franchise Tax Board and tracked down some of the state's biggest tax evaders, which include respected professionals, including lawyers, doctors, realtors, nurses and Hollywood celebrities Dionne Warwick and Steven Seagal.

Waukeen McCoy, who was number 203 on the list of tax evaders, is an employment law and civil rights attorney. He owes the state $280,000.

McCoy is also a former San Francisco ethics commissioner, and he was once tasked with keeping politicians honest, but he's now facing his own ethical tax dilemma.

When KTVU asked McCoy if he thought it was fair that he didn't pay his fair share in taxes, he claimed he did.

"I pay all my taxes as I can, and that's all I got to say," McCoy said.

Topping the list with a $10 million tax bill is the founder of San Francisco-based CNet, Halsey Minor.

KTVU could not get in contact with Minor.

But KTVU confronted another tax scofflaw, Alva Antonini, a Hayward business owner, who owes the state $500,000 in back taxes.

Antonini denied owing the money to the state.

The Franchise Tax Board also said a couple living in a two-and-a-half acre gated estate in Clayton is behind on its taxes.

Patricia Stice, the Clayton homeowner, owes $259,000.

"I don't care what this is," Stice said. "This is being worked on."

Dr. Baldomero de Leon Jr., of Walnut Creek, is No. 1 on the list of corporate tax delinquents and hasn't paid a $4.1 million tax bill.

De Leon declined to comment.

The state will continue to publicly shame these tax evaders in the hopes of getting the billions in taxes its owed -- missing money that could have a direct impact on everything from education to public safety.

The state Franchise Tax Board has the full list of the state's 500 top delinquent tax payers.