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Farewell to Freelancing in California?

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Freelance journalists sued California over the new state law that targets companies who hire independent contractors.

The law, AB 5, is designed to force companies like Uber and Lyft to turn their vast army of independent contractors into employees.

According to the law, freelance journalists are limited to 35 submissions per client, per year before a client must consider them an employee.

I'm all for fully employed journalists, but it just doesn't seem realistic that all freelancers will magically become employees as the law seems to envision.

Full disclosure: I have worked for over 20 years as a freelance cartoonist and only recently became a part-time employee at KQED, largely because of this legislation.

That said, I think my story is an anomaly and I know my career would have been cut short years ago had it been limited to the 35 submission cap.

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