For the last several months, the San Diego Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SD-SPJ) has been in touch with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez about AB 5, a law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, that sought to address worker classification. Unfortunately, the new law has led to some freelance journalists losing work, largely due to uncertainty over the law’s language.

On Thursday, in a series of tweets, Gonzalez said she’s working on bill language (AB 1850) that will lift the cap of 35 submissions per hiring entity that AB 5 placed on freelance journalists, and clear up confusion over the law’s business-to-business exemption.

We plan to continue a productive dialogue with Gonzalez and her staff as AB 1850 moves through the legislative process. We look forward to seeing the new bill language — which Gonzalez said should be available in the next week — and we appreciate her willingness to listen to, and engage with, people affected by AB 5.