With no carveout in hand, Uber, Lyft, DoorDash pledge $90 million to California ballot fight
Three major gig employers vowed to commit at least $90 million to pass a California ballot measure next year unless lawmakers embrace a new model of employment for hundreds of thousands of drivers and delivery workers in the state, the companies announced Thursday. With lawmakers expected to pass a labor-backed bill to reclassify a host […]
Workers are changing. California Legislature must face that reality
Labor protections are meant to address certain situations where there is an imbalance in control between the employer and employee. But when the workers themselves control their working conditions, are these labor protections still necessary? The heart of the debate over independent contracting in the gig economy is how can we improve protections for gig […]
Legislature Should Reject Renewed Attack on Arbitration Agreements – Part 3
Proponents of AB 51 (Gonzalez), as they have with previous versions of this legislation, make a number of claims that are addressed below: Claim: Arbitration Is a Secret Process in California – False California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1281.96 requires a quarterly report by all private arbitration companies that administer arbitrations in this state. […]
California’s Self-Created Future Energy Crisis
In much of the country a powerful energy boom is providing a serious stimulus to economic growth. But in California, where fossil fuels are considered about as toxic as tobacco, we are lurching toward an anticipated energy shortage that will further exacerbate the state’s already deep geographic and class divisions. California, in a typical feat […]
A Tale of Two Cities and Blocked Pension Reforms
A San Diego city attorney urged an appeals court last week to order talks with unions on repaying 4,000 employees for pensions illegally replaced by 401(k)-style plans under an initiative, a cost some estimate could reach $100 million. If the talks result in agreement, the city attorney suggested the pact could go back to voters […]
Reclaiming the California Promise
California’s success recovering from the Great Recession masks profound challenges that will bedevil Governor Gavin Newsom and his fellow elected California leaders. During the teeth of the recession, California lost more than 1.3 million jobs and per capita income sagged by 6%. But since hitting bottom nearly a decade ago, we’ve added more than 3 […]
2019 Brings Yet Another Minimum Wage Hike
Just like earlier this year, because of the enactment of SB 3 (Leno) in 2016, California’s minimum wage is going up again. On January 1, 2019, the state’s minimum wage will be increased for all sizes of businesses as “small employers” will see their second wage hike in recent years. Under prior state law, the […]
Senator Dianne Feinstein Deserves Better and so Does the Republican Party
Some pundits have taken to demonizing Sen. Dianne Feinstein for losses that Democrats hope will not befall the party nationally in the upcoming elections. Will she also be seen as the cause for losses in California House seats which the state’s Democrats are working overtime to capture? As they story goes, they cite her role […]
We Still Need to Reform Deferred Retirement Plans
In these waning days of the 2018 legislative session, pension reform once again was shoved into the future. That can’t last forever. One bill I hope to bring back in an upcoming legislative session is Senate Bill 1433, concerning a clever retirement postponement gimmick called a Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP, for police and firefighters. […]
Modern Internet Policies Will Help Latinos Succeed In California
Internet inequality produces economic inequality, which is why all residents of California should be extremely worried about the lack of access for communities of color. For California’s Latino communities in particular, the digital divide has made it increasingly difficult to participate in the rapidly evolving modern economy. Yet certain lawmakers in Congress are supporting misguided […]