Newspapers delivered to California homes is edging toward extinction as AB5 goes into effect. The law requires that independent contractors including newspaper carriers be classified as employees, increasing distribution costs by 80 percent. That would push many newspapers into bankruptcy as they already are suffering from a 40 percent decline in revenues from the recession caused by the pandemic. (Fresno Bee, August 10, 2020, by the Fresno Bee Editorial Board)
The editorial board of the Daily Breeze, July 17, 2020, warns of dire consequences if Assembly Bill 1850, providing exemptions to AB5 for some classes of workers, does not include newspaper carriers, “Many carriers will lose their jobs, many ethnic and community publications especially will have to shut down and those that remain will see major cuts to their ability to provide news.”