AB5 Personal Stories

Stories from "Freelancers Against AB5" documenting the negative impacts of Assembly Bill 5. Click on outline view for index of professions. For media inquiries, contact Karen Anderson via FB messenger at Freelancers Against AB5.

  • Actors

    Natalya Michelle: I am an actress and director located in Los Angeles CA and San Diego CA. I already have been seeing a significant decline in my work, and many of the projects I was working on let me go. I'm really upset about it and still trying to figure out how I can pursue the career I love while having a flexible schedule. David Nassau: I’m an actor and songwriter. I’m also a freelance translator/interpreter in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and German. To say AB5 is a recipe for economic collapse is an understatement. Since the suicidal law went into effect , I’ve applied for 160 jobs and got about 10 interviews. Finding a job, let alone holding on to one, is not a trivial feat. My freelance gigs provided me the chance to get practical experience. Now to stay on, I have to fill out a TON of paperwork. That includes a city license, proof that I own a business or LLC, a W-2 form, a business card, a Website or LinkedIn page and Proof of advertising. All that just to keep doing what I love? It’s bad enough that at least 1 million Californians are thrown out of work, but what makes it worse: Nobody will want to hire ANYONE from California because of AB5. If this is not repealed, I may have to move out. I fear living on the streets. Bottom line: This law is a recipe for economic and social collapse. It shall make the homeless crisis even worse. It’ll cause people of all economic strata to leave the state. Business will close up shop. The amount of paperwork makes this law environmentally unfriendly. It’ll cause diseases of all kinds to spread because of a shortage of nurses. Farms will cut production or fold completely. Artists will think twice before performing in the Golden State. Annie Smart: I design for performance and teach the same. My ex-students are the people AB5 has a direct and negative affect on. When they begin to shape careers, in whichever medium (TV, film, theatre, commercial), they need to be juggling several kinds of work simply in…

  • Adjunct Faculty

    Katharine West: I am an RN trying to be a nurse entrepreneur (RN health coach) in business for myself (treading carefully) while having also transitioned to academia. Throughout the state, all adjunct faculty must now be paid as hourly part-time employees rather than the previous flat-rate contract employee for each course taught. Hourly wages for adjunct today are terribly, unbelievably, demoralizingly low. The last time I earned this hourly wage was as a new nurse in 1978.

  • Afterschool Programs

    Courtney Johnson : I have been a freelance (read: independent contractor) for after school theatre programs and a theatrical technical designer for well over a decade. AB5 is endangering most of those programs to close their doors. These are tiny non-profit arts organizations who give children somewhere safe to go after school, let them express themselves, give them confidence to find and use their voices. I am against shutting down after school programs that give children a safe place to go, and when these kids are left to the streets. I have negotiated my own contracts for years, and prefer being able to pick and choose where and when I contract. Out of the dozens of groups I've contracted with over my career, only two have been eligible to be union theaters, and it wasn't worth it to join since they don't guarantee you work, they just take your dues and I didn't have the hours logged to join anyhow. Read: I was not eligible to join a union. The theaters/theatre groups I have contracted with are not large enough to have union contracts. There are no unions for after school arts programs --and there don't need to be since most contracts only last a few days a year. Tessa Cisneros: I am a movement instructor for studio and after-school programs, and refuse to become an employee so they are replacing me. My heart breaks.

  • Animal Shelter Consultants

    Valerie Talcott Fausone: I work with large rescues and small shelters and they can’t hire me. At a time when Governor Newsom made the brave and correct call to create a No Kill California, I was all set to consult on this, given I have seven years of safe, no-kill public sheltering experience. Now I cannot consult with shelters looking to improve their results. IRONY! I have to move out of California and work for other no-kill shelters in Austin, Texas, as one example. As a third-generation Californian, I think this is unreasonable and cruel.

  • 3D Animators

    Richie Blasco: So it took a while, but this stupidity has caught up to me as well. Pretty great opportunity to link up with some people higher-up in my industry. I'm a 3D animator/VFX artist. Response: "So they love your work, but their legal team wants them to stop hiring people from California." Cool beans, AB5, in the middle of the pandemic situation too.

  • Architects

    So, after waiting over two years I just finished my first interview with both my attorney and the auditor with EDD. I’m an architect (Mike Pilarski—Nov 2022- August 2023) and I thankfully only have four ICs I need to make a case on. My interview lasted approximately 24 minutes and still needs to be concluded with a follow up, so no definitive answer at the moment. My attorney and I were a little disappointed with the auditor as they didn’t sound very prepared for my case and even said they were missing a few documents, even though my attorney reached out prior to ask if there was anything they needed? If it isn’t already enough to have this weight on my shoulders for two years now, but then to have to have another call and then after that call wait for the results which sometimes can be a wait up to a couple of months is very frustrating. So, if they deem all four of my ICs as employees, I can expect penalties for: UI - 3.4% of the first $7,000.00 earned per employee. ETT - 0.1% of the first $7,000.00 earned per employee. DI - capped at a maximum of $1,229.09 for 2020 (those numbers drop a bit for previous two years) Then you have PIT (personal income tax) for the ICs which in my case was 40k in penalties, HOWEVER…..if you can prove you distributed 1099s (which I can), then that all goes away and the real focus of damage are the first three items. In my case, IF they were to penalize me for 2019-2020, I am looking at 10k in money owed….and that is if all four are deemed as employees. I have a pretty strong case for two of them, especially since one was based out of Arizona. What I find interesting is the auditor admitted she doesn’t understand the industry of Architecture that I am in which is totally understandable….but if someone doesn’t understand your industry, then how are they able to determine whether someone shouldn’t be considered an IC? If you can imagine, there are thousands of Architects that are single individual / single…

  • Architectural Designers

    Liam Murphy: I'm a freelance architectural designer (28 years old). I have a professional architecture degree from a top 10 program. Licensing requirements (to be an Architect) in the states include hours logged on the job, as well as passing 6 national exams, and 1 additional exam required by California. So I am in this intermediate period that all architects go through, where they are professionals (out of school, working full time), but not yet fully licensed. Two years ago I left my salaried desk job at a San Francisco firm. The primary reason was to focus full time on my exams, and I finished the national exams within the year. The other reason was to take on an addition and remodel project for my parents. We are redesigning a family home so my parents can retire and remain in their home as they get older. Managing this project is somewhere between a part-time and full-time job in terms of time commitment. I would not be able to work an additional full time and still run this project by myself. After about a year (beginning of 2019), my former employer contacted me and asked if I would be interested in freelance work. We met and negotiated terms. We mutually agreed on an hourly contract. I was bringing in far more money per hour than when I left that firm 1 year earlier. It was a good deal for me and they clearly needed someone they could trust to get work done fast without having to be trained. Mutually beneficial. As I look to complete my last California exam and become a licensed architect, I hope at some point to start my own firm and practice as an architect. Everything I was doing was in advancement of that goal. The money I was able to bring in with the freelance work was enough to support myself, while giving back to my parents with rewarding personal work. Not to mention the improvements in my mental health due to the lifestyle shift of not working long hours in an office. Now, due to AB5, my contract with that architecture firm is on "indefinite…

  • Architectural Rendering Illustrators

    Kevin Matty: I have lost over 50% of my 2018 income since the implementation of AB5 compared to my 2019 income. Now my clients that I've had for years don't want to give me too much work because they'd have to hire me as an employee and cannot afford it.

  • Art Teachers

    Mary Beth Sasso: I am a teaching and a contractor for Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. As of Jan. 2020, I was made to become an employee so now my hourly rate was cut more than half, so no what I have to do is keep track of all my hours so I can make up the difference but the thing is, taxes will be taken out and in the long run, I will be making far less an hour than when I was paid an hourly rate as an independent contractor. This is killy so many people’s livelihoods where we will be out of work. I hace another contract job and am just waiting for the shoe to drop on that, then I’m bascially screwed.

  • Art Therapists

    Elizabeth Tobias: I’m an Artist in Residence, Teaching Artist and Expressive Arts Therapist. I facilitate therapeutic art to underserved populations. I’m a working mom and must set my own schedule so I can be available for my daughter and all of her activities. I just lost a summer teaching job that I was really counting on because of AB5 as they are no longer able to hire independent artists. I called Lorena Gonzales office to share my story and they hung up on me as I was speaking.I feel overwhelmed and powerless. The political climate has been stressful enough. AB5 is harming me emotionally and financially. I want my freedom back!

  • Auctioneers

    Zack Krone: Auctioneers and Ringmen (auctioneer assistants) were hired on a per auction basis by various auction houses, car auctions, nonprofits throwing a benefit, estate sales etc. It truly was a gig economy until AB5 rolled around. So several Auctioneers were let go, and a handful were put down as employees. So it created a hierarchy so a few got more work where the majority got fired or the auction houses brought in people from out of state. My personal business is that of a benefit Auctioneer or I primarily focus on fundraising for schools nonprofits. Thankfully I’m Inc. and the nonprofit pays my corporation and I payroll myself. Naturally I would prefer not have to payroll myself as it certainly affects my income.

  • Audio Visual Techs

    JN Knotts: I work in the Audio Visual industry as a tech. Prior to AB5 implementation I was making $30-45 an hour (based off day rates for a 10 hour day) depending on the assignment I was hired for. After the lock down and having coronavirus this year, I'm far too financially strapped to be able to afford to incorporate and continue to freelance at those rates. Since I can only work as an employee, most of the companies I can now work for have told me they will no longer pay those rates since they have to pay for insurance etc... Since I am considered an at-will and on-call employee, I do not qualify for insurance, vacation, sick leave, and other normal employee perks. All while making 1/3 less BEFORE taxes. I work like a dog and can barely afford to make ends meet thanks to AB5. Also, since I am an employee and not freelance, I cannot negotiate perks like parking and mileage reimbursement. I always work on site and parking can be $50 or more, often with no street parking available in the areas I work in. I still work for several different companies, last year it was only 9 but it was a short year. Lorena Gonzalez calling freelancers tax cheats because we use legal means to lessen our tax burdens is as offensive as it is ridiculous. I'll stop here because I'm angry and starting to spiral. Plus: Unions are already a damned difficult thing to get in to, and if we are all expected to join or starve no one will ever make it in. I worked for one of the IATSE unions in my area on a casual basis and have for nearly 3 years. You have to work 2000 hours just to get in, but you are on the bottom of the list for calls. Then you have to be voted in and pay a fee. This is one of the easier unions to get into in CA. They know I'm interested in membership but I still don't get called enough to survive off the amount of jobs I get. If the million or so freelance AV techs here are all joining unions no one will ever get enough work to gain membership again, and unless you are…

  • Authors

    Jacqueline Diamond, Author: The enormous growth of indie publishing has fueled an entire landscape of independent contracting, of men and (mostly) women who work from home as cover artists, formatters, editors, proofreaders, etc. Authors, who are also little people often just beginning or reviving their careers with little income, can't afford to hire them as employees for a few hours' work. Oh, I left out the virtual assistants who make money from managing social media etc a few hours a week per client. Many of these independent contractors already have day jobs and need to make extra money, or are caring for family members, or are handicapped or elderly themselves. AB5 is a vicious, cruel attack on this entire vast group of self-employed people.

  • Bloggers

    Cori George: I have a craft blog. I have several different "virtual assistants" who do all sorts of blogging tasks for me (writing, SEO research, admin, social media, etc.). Basically all the things that are affected by the "B" part of this law. Two of my VAs are in California (so am I). One of my VAs has more than a dozen bloggers that she works for. Which means she's basically screwed (like so many people in here). These bloggers aren't going to hire her as a W2 employee. She picked up this work so that she could stay at home and be with her daughter while picking up jobs on the side to help support her family. She doesn't want to be an employee. She wants the flexibility to work when she can and take time off if she needs. Goodbye side hustle. On my end, I don't want to hire an employee. My blog can be seasonal—I need more help during busy seasons and less during slow seasons. I change the types of work I do month to month, depending on the whims of Google and Pinterest and their algorithms. And because bloggers do, well, basically everything, the "B" requirement makes it impossible to hire any contract worker except maybe a CPA. You can add bloggers and virtual assistants to the list of people unduly affected by this law.

  • Professional Body Piercers

    Greta Garter: Body Piercers are independent contractors. They are their own bosses. They charge a fee per piercing and that’s how they make their money. Along with tips. They have to pay for all the supplies and PPE. The shops usually provide the jewelry. My significant other has lost work and clients because of AB5.

  • Brand, Advertising & Design Professionals

    Chelsea Hardaway: Billion dollar companies that used to pay anywhere from $50,000-$100,000 for rebranding, positioning exercises, brand collateral, marketing pieces, blog posts, infographics, content marketing or marketing strategy are now afraid to hire freelancers and will only work with big agencies. Most of the best creatives want to be independent and come together in fluid teams as it fits various projects — without having to charge high agency fees for overhead. These people will lose their livelihood. I already have a business license and $1M business insurance. Am now going to have to hire attorneys and accountants and set up a corporation that pays payroll and holds worker’s compensation insurance for a desk job I do from home (and I already carry the aforementioned biz insurance). It’s an unnecessary burden for a sole proprietor and will make my costs of being in business much higher ... in order to do business with billion dollar companies and make them feel safe? Unfair burden on the sole proprietor. Additionally, most tech companies (all companies!) in the Bay Area have a voracious need for content they can email and put on the internet to attract new clients. They don’t have the resources or expertise in house so they outsource a lot of that to freelancers.

  • Bridal Accessories

    Justine Murray: I make bridal veils and accessories for 20 years selling wholesale to boutiques and department stores globally. I got audited by the EDD for my ICs — it was during Covid — it took them over 18 months to make a decision; nothing from the EDD during that time. They kept me hanging; it was so stressful. It came back barely owed anything and what I did owe was a farce. I outsourced all IC work overseas. I had no choice as it wasn’t full time work and sporadic. I had a fashion model made an employee for 6 hours of work by the EDD which is just not practical and completely stupid - changed the way I did business and sadly resulted in no new hires within California I am just too nervous following the whole EDD experience. My business is doing great post COVID but I will not rehire in California while the laws make small business owners the target of some vicious unworkable laws designed to kill business in the state rather than encourage growth independence and supporting business owners.

  • Burlesque Dancers

    Lili VonSchtupp: I am a 54-year-old disabled female burlesque dancer, emcee, magician, and producer. AB5 has cut me off from income as a performer and as a producer. With 8 minutes work as a dancer on stage, it's impossible to characterize me as an employee. I work for some companies one a year. I create my own acts, should be allowed to own the intellectual property of my art, and write off my costumes and business expenses. As a producer, I can't hire anyone either as they are all like me. You are killing the arts. AB5 has devastated my coming back to work after being diagnosed with a degenerative illness. I can't be hired at 40 hour a week job as I can not have the flexibility to deal with my illness or receive an hourly pay rate to survive part time. I also can't drive. I am the textbook small business entrepreneur. AB5 has effectively made it impossible for me to work and support myself with dignity. I ran LA's number one weekly burlesque show for 12 years and now I sit home writing my elected representatives begging for the right to work. # repealAB5Now

  • Businesses Moving Out of State

    Fred Ashman: I personally know independent Executive Producers who are developing a (funded) new tv series and decided to move the whole thing out of California in great part because of this misguided law. The extra cost is in cash and in additional accounting & production staff to handle paperwork (far more than 1099’s) and big hassle to simply hire a small crew for an occasional one day shoot, let alone for a week to shoot the pilot. Willow Polson: I'm an indie Executive Producer with an LLC production company. Strongly considering moving out of the state, and I'm a proud 3rd generation Californian. I haven't pulled that trigger yet, waiting to see what happens with the amendments. Brian Butler AB5 destroyed our small business in CA so we moved to AZ and love it here! I'm now a real estate agent in Prescott and helping folks relocate for a better life!

  • C-7 Low-Voltage Systems Contractors

    Travis Malek: I am a C-7 communications contractor. We work on low-voltage wiring, computer networks, access control security, sound systems, phone systems, microwave radios, CCTV, and much much more. I do work through a platform called Field Nation for independent contractors. Some buyers on the platform will not allow me to bid on their work because I am not an LLC. I am licensed, but the California State Licensing Board does not allow single-member LLCs for contractors' licenses, therefore I am an SCorp. Unfortunately, the buyers wont do business with me even though I am registered SCorp with the Secretary of State in California. Here is the wording one buyer uses (they change it around sometimes): "Our legal staff has suggested it is in our best interest to require any resource working within CA be a registered LLC holder from a CA authority."