Written by Michael Palomba
On Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) and Senator John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) presented their respective bills to members of the State Senate Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement Committees.
SB 806, presented by Grove, and SB 990, presented by Moorlach, aim to ensure that independent contractors have the ability to continue to work and earn a living in the state.
Both bills aim to reduce the disastrous effects of Assembly Bill 5, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. Grove’s bill calls for tweaking several aspects of the crippling bill:
“SB 806 [woud] allow any industry, profession, or business that had legally and appropriately enjoyed independent contractor relationships prior to the Dynamex decision and AB 5 to continue to do so,” Grove said. “An urgency clause has been attached to SB 806 which means it immediately becomes law when the governor signs it.”
Moorlach’s bill goes a step further and calls for the immediate suspension of AB 5 until 2022. This move certainly has its supporters, as AB 5 has affected countless families, businesses, and communities.
“This bill, which would suspend AB 5 until January 1, 2022, is exactly the type of legislation that is needed during times of economic uncertainty,” said the Mayor of Laguna Niguel in a letter to Senator Moorlach.
AB 5 has completely destroyed the gig economy in California. From cartoonists and translators to Uber drivers and musicians, thousands have had their careers decimated by AB 5. Uber and Lyft have attempted to bypass the new regulations and continue to classify employees as independent contractors, resulting in lawsuits by several counties and the state.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez is infamous for prioritizing unions over workers and families, and AB 5 is the epitomization of that. This whole bill was a gift to labor unions and a kick in the face to the hard working independent contractors throughout California. This is not a matter of playing politics; millions of real people are without work right now and AB 5 is only exacerbating an already difficult situation.
