Ride share driver in car using the rideshare app in mobile phone. Image by Tero Vesalainen. AB 1340 represents roughly a decade or more of work by labor in the state. Ever since Uber launched in 2009, there’s been an ongoing, global debate on whether rideshare drivers are indeed independent contractors, as claimed by the apps, or bona fide employees, as claimed by workers and labor advocates.
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CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: Chris Lehane has a solid gold resume in professional politics: consultant and oppo research in the Clinton White House, Press Secretary to VP Al Gore, and the source of the report on the “vast right wing conspiracy” so infamously cited by Hillary Clinton. Since 2024 he has been VP of Global Affairs and a member of the executive team at OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence organization based in San Francisco. Lehane joined us to talk about the opportunities and dangers of this fascinating new technology and to make the case for the importance of California maintaining its role as a global leader in AI.
Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week in Sacramento.
Mauricio Torres. Photo by Ellie Appleby for Capitol Weekly. Whether he’s deciphering complex policy language or hiking renowned trails like the Inca Trail or the W Trek in Patagonia, Mauricio Torres Jr. approaches it all with confidence, curiosity and a deep connection to the communities he serves.
Image via ShutterstockOPINION – As a climate scientist, I believe that the extension of cap-and-trade through 2045, including the continued use of offsets, is simply good policy.
Image by romkaz. OPINION – The Trump Administration is waging a war – with military troops on the ground – on Los Angeles and the rest of California because we refuse to hand our migrant neighbors over to unidentifiable goons who spit on the Constitution and due process protections we are all afforded in this country. Amidst this climate, AB 379 will cause devastating and irreparable harm in our communities, especially among migrant sex workers and survivors.
Image by Dilok Klaisataporn. OPINION – The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is reworking a proposal that would strengthen the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) – a policy designed to lower emissions from transportation fuels. The new rule will raise the state’s goal for reducing carbon emissions from 20% to 30% by 2030. Is this a big challenge? Damn right it is, but lives are at stake.
The California State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Image by t:Marcopolo9442It has been a big budget week, with lots of ups and downs. In today’s briefs we look at some of those as well as a few more happenings in and around the Capitol.
Image by Robert Way. OPINION – OpenAI needs the state of California to approve a corporate restructuring that would fundamentally alter its commitments to the public. But its plans are remarkably short on details, and the public deserves to know much more about how restructuring would affect them.