Posted on 11/05/2020 7:57:23 AM PST by SeekAndFind
While Californians re-elected some extremely questionable super progressive Democrats, and possibly even replaced a Democrat District Attorney in Los Angeles County with a Soros DA, in the only statewide contests on the ballot they overwhelmingly voted for the conservative position.
In addition to rejecting a return to affirmative action, as my colleague Alex Parker covered, California voters overwhelmingly voted to protect an individual’s right to contract, rejecting Big Labor’s attempt to take over the app-based gig economy in passing Proposition 22.
Proposition 22, as I wrote last week, exempts app-based gig economy drivers from California’s terrible AB5 law and allows them to continue to work as independent contractors while mandating that the companies provide health insurance subsidies, an earnings floor, and other protections for the drivers. In essence, the proposition’s passage allowed the companies to continue operating in California.
As I also wrote last week, the companies proposed the provisions of Proposition 22 back in 2019 as a compromise while AB5 was being considered by the legislature. The bill’s author, Asm. Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (D, AFL-CIO), said, “Kiss my grits,” and today the app-based gig companies said, “Back atcha!”
The Los Angeles Times eviscerated “state lawmakers,” saying that their failure to strike a deal with app-based companies was a huge mistake, but they really meant Asm. Lorena Gonzalez (D, AFL-CIO).
State lawmakers had the chance last year to strike a deal with app-based companies to boost the benefits and protections that workers on their platforms would receive. They didn’t, and in hindsight, that looks to be a terrible mistake.
AB 5 codified a 2018 state Supreme Court ruling that required companies to treat more independent contractors as employees. Instead of creating a third category of protections for gig workers, which would have been the far-sighted thing to do, labor-friendly Democrats in the Legislature spurned overtures from Uber et al….
The Yes on 22 campaign did an excellent job of messaging, as the Times also noted, making the No on 22 crowd look like job killers:
[T]he app companies — many of which have not been profitable — argued that they wouldn’t be able to afford the increased costs unless they radically changed their their business models. Instead of allowing drivers to work on demand, when they wanted and where they wanted, they would have to schedule driver shifts and territories. Plus, they contended, they would need dramatically fewer drivers, given that the vast majority of gig workers now put in only a few hours a week. The Yes on 22 campaign augmented their pitch with drivers in televison ads urging voters to let them continue to do the jobs they need and love the way they’d been doing them.
That left the No on 22 campaign struggling to explain why the state should force changes in the app companies’ business model that threatened those jobs. After all, the proponents argued, no one is forced to work for Uber or Postmates. People who didn’t like the miserly pay and limited benefits provided by Proposition 22 don’t have to drive for those companies.
Gonzalez-Fletcher was characteristically salty in defeat. Defeating Proposition 22 was her main concern during this cycle, but she was almost equally as passionate about ensuring that Proposition 16 (to bring back racial preferences) passed. It was a tough night for a woman used to getting her way by whatever means necessary.
Tomorrow, I’ll wake up and think, what can we do to help working Californians? It’s what we do everyday. Fighting corporate greed & unlimited spending is never easy, but we do it. Over & over & over again. And, don’t worry, I got some ideas. 😉 Big love to all the drivers. #hope
— Lorena Gonzalez (@LorenaSGonzalez) November 4, 2020
What she can do to help working Californians is to get the heck out of their way, and retire.
Proposition 22’s passage gives hope for a full repeal of AB5 during the next legislative session, and for thwarting Gonzalez-Fletcher’s planned 2022 Secretary of State run.
There is no good news from CA. We should have let them secede from the union.
CA is like an open, festering wound on the nation. The rancid wound that is CA has leaked and infected OR, WA and AZ. TX is next.
I voted NO and hoped it would fail, only for one reason too, The Entire Organization of both these companies including, owners, management, drivers and passengers are at least 90% plus proud progressive liberal democrats, and they should be FORCED to live with the decisions they made by electing these commie bastards in the first place.
I will NEVER use these services
Who knows if California would ever want to secede. Certainly not everyone in the state would want that.
But, consider that Democrats in Washington and the rest of the country won’t let California go. The Democrats have had the majority in the House, because of so many Democrat House members from California.
Arguments by everyday citizens for 22 were incredible. Independent contractors should get benefits and qualify for unemployment when a gig is completed. All BS; independent contractors are self-employed business owners, and as owners, should be paying their own benefits. If passed, what would prevent an employer from re-branding as a contractor, paying only his own benefits, and looking for a sugar daddy employer to pay him. And what would prevent a contractor from deciding, once benefits were accorded, from working one hour a month while collecting? It’s all insane. It’s all “I deserve because I’m entitled.”
A couple of years ago, the libs in California were talking about seceding.
I told the few dems, that I still spoke to, they should make sure their insurance was paid.
At first they thought that I was threatening them.
I told them if California left, the dems would never win another presidential election with their loss of the California electoral votes. Then, the loss of 2 $inators and all the California Congressits, that would be the end of any discussions of seceding.
The democrat party destroyed a million+ jobs just for some payoffs from the taxi companies.
Let nothing. Kick them out.
Oregon might not even notice, having legalized smack and blow.
You cannot tell me that there aren’t opportunities for the GOP to make serious inroads in California. If only they tried.
I think this is something Trump should direct the RNC to focus on it for this second term. Trump should have done a few rallies in California, not because he would have won the State, but to start planting some seeds that will ultimately pay off down the road.
I’m tired of giving the Rats 84 Electoral Votes in CA and NY, without a fight.
I voted no for the same reason. AB5 was an abomination, and giving Uber and Lyft an exemption is just a slap in the face of all the rest of the businesses in California who were affected by this terrible legislation. Screw Uber, screw Lyft, and screw Newsom.
Eff You and your post, Californian by birth and how about you just stop voting and posting and take care of your own cesspool of a state
Jim Robinson is based in Cali, are you tacitly saying he should go too
Friggin Trolls
100% with you on that. The Democrats are relentless in trying to flip Texas. We should be just as relentless in CA and NY.
The American political map is never static. 25 years ago, Texas had a liberal Democrat governor while California and New York had Republican governors, one conservative and one moderate. Texas will not be Republican forever, and New York and California won’t be Democrat forever.
At one time Texas Democrats were more Conservative than most Republicans, Ma Richards, was the last, as by then even Texas Democrats were taken over by the Left. Remember, JFK went to Texas to try to shore up differences between Conservative and Liberals in the Texas Democratic Party. Imagine something like that happening today, LOL, there are no Conservative Democrats.
If you look at a 1976 election map, it is almost the opposite of the maps the last couple of decades—amazing stuff.
Isn’t it strange that on the ballot measures Californians voted conservative, but in the ballot races they vote deep state.
I think the Democrat vote fraud needs more work in California.
Left coast vote fraud is what makes them all blue. Without vote reform those Americans will never be free.
Was Richards really a conservative Democrat? I did not live in Texas at the time, but my understanding had always been that, despite her folksy mannerisms, she was always squarely in the liberal wing of the party.
I had always heard the “last of the conservative Democrats” was Jack Ogg, who I had the privilege to meet before he passed a few years ago, and whose daughter is now the Harris County DA (a friend, but I voted against her).
Apparently, Oregon’s legalization of smack and blow was just the recognition of something already happening. Which one has been your preference?
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