Rideshare drivers demand protections + The Census runs an ad + Insurance companies told to plan
Welcome to your weekend! Almost. Does a weekend still count when you’re spending it sheltering in place? Anyway, here’s the alert!
UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS DEMAND PROTECTIONS
When you drive for Uber or Lyft, it’s hard to practice the social distancing recommended by the state to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Now, thousands of rideshare drivers have signed onto a Mobile Workers Alliance petition calling on Uber and Lyft to provide 14 days of paid leave to drivers affected by the outbreak, personal protective equipment to keep drivers safe on the road and a clear protocol in the event of exposure to COVID-19, including free screenings.
The petition also demands that Silicon Valley rideshare companies “take immediate action to comply with Assembly Bill 5,” the law requiring that most independent contractors be re-classified as employees.
Both Uber and Lyft have so far resisted doing so, and they are funding a ballot initiative that would overturn AB 5 at the polls.
The companies say they are taking steps to protect drivers and customers during the outbreak. Each has announced efforts to keep cars clean and sanitized.
Jerome Gage, a Los Angeles-based Lyft driver, said that his company and Uber aren’t doing enough to protect either employees or passengers during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Because Uber and Lyft refuse to comply with state law and properly classify us as employees, we’re left without guaranteed paid sick time, unemployment insurance, or employer-provided healthcare. If drivers like me begin to show symptoms, we’re forced to decide between self-quarantining and making enough money to keep food on the table for our families. It’s unacceptable,” Gage said in a statement.
The Mobile Workers Alliance will be hosting a telephone press conference on Thursday which will feature drivers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference is set to begin at 11 a.m. You can listen in by calling 844-291-5495, and using the access code 6189653.
OH YEAH, THE CENSUS!
With all the coronavirus news out there, it can be easy to forget the fact that it’s 2020 and the U.S. Census has begun.
The California Census campaign is offering a reminder of that all-important civic duty with a 30-second television ad set to run across the state in 10 different languages over the next eight weeks. The ad, titled “It starts with one,” features several families and the message that “every one counts.”
“We are excited to premiere a new ad now that the 2020 Census is officially underway. Our goal is to reach the more than 11 million hardest-to-count Californians who need to participate. The video’s message is motivational and inspiring, not only capturing the diversity of California, but also emphasizing the strength of our numbers when everyone participates in the Census,” said Ditas Katague, director of the California Complete Count — Census 2020 Office.
The best part is, you can fill it out while still practicing social distancing.
You may have gotten your Census form, a nine-question confidential survey, in the mail. But you can also fill the questionaire out online by visiting https://my2020census.gov.
All this comes as the U.S. Census Bureau announced it is suspending field operations as a result of the coronavirus.
INSURANCE COMPANIES PUT ON NOTICE
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Wednesday that his office is directing health insurance companies to submit emergency plans detailing how they will continue to provide access to necessary medical care amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lara gave insurance companies until March 20 to submit the plan.
“I am ordering health insurance companies to submit their plans to provide consumers access to necessary health care during the state of emergency, including extending prescription refills to a 90-day supply, removing unnecessary barriers to accessing treatment, and taking other steps to protect Californians’ health and safety,” Lara said in a statement. “With the actions being taken by state and local governments to protect people from coronavirus spread, we are directing health insurance companies to work with us to guarantee access to care for our most vulnerable during these extraordinary times.”
This action will affect 2 million Californians covered by Department of Insurance-regulated policies, according to Lara’s office.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“One rose amidst all of this- family dinners and no late night homework stress. And nice to not have kids shuffling home late from sports and activities. And yes, unfortunately the thorn- we run out of toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex tomorrow. I wish people had not hoarded.”
- First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, via Twitter. If California’s first family can’t find toilet paper, what hope do the rest of us have?
Best of the Bee:
Hospitals could face severe shortages of nurses, beds and blood. How California is responding, via Jason Pohl, Michael Finch II and Ryan Sabalow
Concerned about crowded conditions that may exacerbate a coronavirus crisis in the jail system, Sacramento County sheriff’s officials began releasing non-violent inmates Tuesday night from jails, via Sam Stanton and Darrell Smith.
Many of the California state workers who reported to their offices Wednesday will have to keep showing up — whether or not their job is essential — under the latest guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom, via Wes Venteicher.