Are CA gig staff getting promised pay and advantages?

California voters handed Proposition 22 4 years in the past. The poll initiativebacked by Uber, Lyft and different gig corporations, promised the state’s greater than 1 million gig staff new advantages, resembling assured minimal earnings, well being care stipends, occupational accident insurance coverage and unintentional dying insurance coverage. Gig staff have lengthy turned to the state labor commissioner with wage complaints; since Prop. 22 handed, these complaints embody ones associated to that regulation.

However the state Supreme Courtroom’s current ruling that upholds Prop. 22 successfully ensures that Uber and different ride-hailing and supply platforms can proceed to deal with their staff as unbiased contractors. Which means the labor commissioner can not deal with wage claims from gig staff, who usually are not thought-about staff.

Gig corporations — a few of which have tacked on new buyer charges to assist present staff with Prop. 22 advantages — say the regulation is working as meant, although they share few particulars. In accordance with interviews with gig staff and wage claims filed with the state that have been examined by CalMatters economic system reporter Levi Sumagaysaythese advantages haven’t been as useful as marketed and aren’t at all times delivered in a well timed method (or in some circumstances, allegedly in no way).

Laura Robinson, a supply employee who has labored for various gig corporations, waited months to obtain occupational accident insurance coverage from Instacart. And a wage declare she filed with the labor commissioner lately helped her get a settlement from one other platform, Curri. Nevertheless it took a whole lot of legwork and persistence on her half. Additionally, she stated she was pissed off about not figuring out precisely the place to show and the way lengthy it took to get a decision.

• Robinson: “(Prop. 22) is not helpful if it’s not enforced or applied.”

Now, within the wake of the Supreme Courtroom ruling, no state company is straight in command of imposing Prop. 22 — except native prosecutors or the state lawyer basic determine to file lawsuits. So gig staff with particular person claims, like Robinson, have even much less recourse if they’ve a dispute with gig corporations.

For extra on this concernlearn Levi’s story.

It’s in no way a shock, however a second bid to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom ended with a whimper.

The marketing campaign acknowledged that since February it solely collected 100,000 of the 1.3 million signatures required by Tuesday’s deadline, so it didn’t hassle submitting them. Anne Dunsmore of Rescue California criticized the state GOP for not serving to the trouble, telling CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff that “our biggest hurdle was the California Republican Party. Period.”

Dunsmore additionally stated whereas the marketing campaign gave voice to voters pissed off with Newsom, the fervour died down in current weeks: “When it was very obvious that he was not going to be on the presidential ticket, that’s when everybody really calmed down.”

In the meantime, Newsom, who simply beat again the 2021 recall effortsuperior the particular session on gasoline costs he known as Saturday evening by unveiling laws Tuesday with Meeting Speaker Robert Rivas. The invoicewhich they are saying will stop gasoline value spikes, is similar to a invoice that Senate chief Mike McGuirewho opposes the session, stated his chamber was able to approve.

As for the election that’s really occurring, CalMatters’ award-winning Voter Information is now up to date for November. Mail ballots exit to all registered voters in early October, and you’ve got till Oct. 21 to register to vote on-line.

The important thing parts to the information:

• Key races: Particulars on the candidates and dynamics of key races for the U.S. Home, state Meeting and state Senate. As in 2022, California may assist decide which celebration controls Congress, and the legislative contests may determine whether or not Democrats preserve their supermajority.

• Voting FAQ: Info and sources to be sure to’re all set to solid your poll and have it counted. There’s additionally a type to ask questions, which we’ll attempt to reply.

Along with the information, we’re additionally reaching out to voters who could get their info elsewhere. We now have a TikTok and an Instagram reel on Prop. 3 on same-sex marriage; a TikTok and Insta on Prop. 32which might enhance the state minimal wage; and a TikTok and an Insta reel on Prop. 6which might ban pressured labor in prisons.

You possibly can sustain with all CalMatters Election 2024 protection by signing up for 2024 election emails.

One of many extra contentious payments to make it over the end line within the last hours was a late proposal to regulate the place new warehouses may be constructedwrites CalMatters Inland Empire points reporter Deborah Brennan.

The invoice would require native governments to position a buffer between warehouses and “sensitive” residential areas resembling colleges, house buildings and nursing houses. The measure would additionally set up new guidelines for trucking routes that will “avoid residential areas.”

With the persevering with reputation of e-commerce, the Inland Empire skilled a current growth in warehouse improvementwhich has been encroaching on low-income neighborhoods, clogging roads and spewing air air pollution. In a invoice evaluation, its co-author — Democratic Assemblymember Juan Carrillo of Palmdale — stated the measure requires warehouse builders to “build a better product, operate responsibly, and be good neighbors to the communities they set up shop in.”

However the proposal faces sturdy opposition from a number of enterprise and native authorities teams. Along with the additional prices builders could incur from both complying with the brand new guidelines or paying penalties if they don’t, they argue that native economies may endure. Opponents additionally criticized lawmakers for the invoice’s last-minute push. The California Chamber of Commerce helps the measure, nonetheless, calling it “a valuable compromise” because of extra far-reaching payments, lawsuits and native moratoriums.

Learn extra in regards to the warehouse invoice in Deborah’s story.

Talking of last-day payments: The Legislature handed a proposal by Sen. Scott Wiener to require sure automobiles constructed or bought after 2030 to be outfitted with a “passive intelligent speed assistance system” to restrict rushing accidents.

• Wienera San Francisco Democrat, in a press release: “Rising levels of dangerous speeding are placing all Californians in danger, and by taking prudent steps to improve safety, we can save lives.”

However Senate Republicans usually are not pleased with the measure and are urging the governor to veto it. They argue that “the real focus should be on increasing law enforcement … and appropriately punishing those who blatantly disregard traffic laws.”

The pace help system would alert drivers every time they drive greater than 10 mph over the pace restrict. The invoice features a handful of exemptions, resembling emergency automobiles, sure vehicles, bikes and mopeds. Since July, all new vehicles bought within the European Union are required to have an identical system.

After 15 years of efforts and spending to increase entry, an estimated 94% of California residents have medical insurance. Learn the way the state achieved this milestone — and who stays unnoticed — in our new explainer by CalMatters interns Arfa Momin and Shaanth Nanguneri.