Gig worker legislation, Round 2
By lobbyist Chris Micheli’s count, 34 bills have been introduced in 2020 to alter California’s new gig worker law.
Republicans, seeing a winning campaign issue, introduced most of the bills to alter Assembly Bill 5, the 2019 legislation that requires companies in many instances to hire employees rather than use independent contractors.
The GOP bills would exempt small business, musicians, timber companies, therapists, newspaper delivery people and freelance journalists, among others.
The Republicans’ bills have almost no chance of passage in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
However:
- Sen. Cathleen Gagliani, Stockton Democrat, introduced a bill that would create a third category of worker, offering certain protections for gig workers.
- Sen. Henry Stern, Malibu Democrat, introduced a bill, perhaps for the entertainment industry.
- Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, San Diego Democrat and AB 5’s author, also introduced legislation, details to come.
Meanwhile:
- A federal judge in San Diego blocked the state from enforcing the law against truckers and trucking companies, one of AB 5’s main targets.
- Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart, each of which relies on independent workers and were targets of the bill, have $107.4 million, a huge sum, in a campaign account for a November initiative. Under the measure, companies could use independent contractors so long as they provide some protections.
Micheli sees irony. The original bill was aimed at truckers and app-based drivers employees. If the initiative were to pass and the injunction remains in place, AB 5 would not cover those workers. Yet scores of other professions would be covered.
“Proverbial collateral damage.”
—CALMatters
SACRAMENTO
Assemblymembers Aguiar-Curry and Reyes Introduce legislative package to declare California still open to refugees
Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) and Eloise Reyes (D- San Bernardino) introduced Assembly Bill 3133 and Assembly Bill 3134 last week, together on the floor of the State Assembly to show their partnership in the fight to protect, support, and welcome refugees in California.
“Refugees” are men, women, and children who are forced to flee their country of origin to seek safety in another country due to war, governmental upheaval, or persecution based upon their religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Most eventually go home when it is safe, some stay in temporary refugee settlements, and less than one percent must permanently resettle in a different country. The legislators noted The United States has a long tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing violence, conflict, or instability, and California has actively received newly arrived refugees since 1980.
AB 3133, authored by Aguiar-Curry, codifies California’s commitment to resettling refugees as part of the United States Reception and Placement Program and specifically prohibits discrimination of a refugee anywhere in California on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, creed, or sexual orientation.
“Refugees in California are welcomed in their search for peace and temporary protection from life-threatening circumstances in their home country. Once here, these people have historically made significant economic and cultural contributions to our state, including $17 billion in spending power,” said Aguiar-Curry. “It is our duty to make sure that refugees feel safe in California, free from discrimination, and supported in their efforts to reestablish and reinvent their lives.”
When they first arrive, refugee-adults without family or friends rely heavily on the federal Refugee Cash Assistance program, which provides up to eight months of federal funds for basic needs while they resettle in a new community. This means that a young adult refugee has only eight months to mitigate their mental and physical health concerns as survivors of conflict, master new language skills, navigate a new workforce to secure a job, and create a life that provides for their basic needs.
AB 3134, authored by Assemblymember Eloise Reyes, extends the Refugee Cash Assistance program by matching federal funds with state dollars, so that refugees receive up to 16 months of cash assistance to allow for a more feasible path to self-sufficiency.
“California has long held the stance and supported the idea that accepting and supporting refugees in their resettlement is an imperative humanitarian effort which benefits all of California’s communities. If we truly want refugees to reach self-sufficiency, we must recognize that eight months may be inadequate to get on their feet. Rather than limiting the transition to eight months and forcing them to drop further into poverty during their ninth month in California, thus making them more reliant on the social safety net we should offer an additional eight months for the transition” said Reyes.
The U.S. Department of State’s Reception and Placement Program has cooperative agreements with nine domestic resettlement agencies that work to provide assistance for refugees to settle successfully throughout the country. Services provided include applying for a Social Security card, registering kids in school, arranging medical appointments, and providing social or language services where needed.
Patrick Poulin, the International Rescue Committee’s regional director of U.S. Pacific-West, resettlement, asylum, and integration said: “When refugees arrive in America, they demonstrate powerful resilience by seizing every opportunity to thrive so they can show their gratitude for the safety and welcome they find in their adopted communities. The IRC is grateful for Assemblymembers Aguiar-Curry and Reyes’ work to establish California as a state that welcomes and invests in the world’s most vulnerable people at this critical time when global displacement is reaching record highs.”
“Refugees are among the most vulnerable people in California. Families worldwide come to our state seeking to rebuild their lives after fleeing untold violence and persecution. AB 3134 would help refugees build a solid foundation for a brighter future and make our state a place of refuge for survivors of oppression,” added Basim Elkarra, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations-California (CAIR-CA).
—Submitted
