On Monday, Vox Media-owned SB Nation announced that it was cutting more than 200 freelance writers as a direct result of California’s new law targeting independent contractors. When one of those soon-to-be terminated writers posted about the “devastating” situation online, the chief sponsor of the bill responded by telling her it’s “not all bad” and framing the loss of jobs as a choice by the contractors. Amid blistering blowback, the lawmaker offered a meek apology.
California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) — sponsored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who The Atlantic cheered as “The California Democrat setting the National Agenda” — targets the so-called “gig economy,” the use of independent contractors, including freelance writers and ride share drivers. Because Gonzalez’s bill arbitrarily imposes the limit of 35 contributions for freelance writers a year for a publication, SB Nation has been forced to cut ties with over 200 contractors, creating only about 20 part-time and full-time jobs to replace them — meaning some 180+ former freelancers have officially lost a source of income.
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