Gloria Allred comes out against Prop. 22 + Pete Wilson statue comes down

Good morning and happy Monday! Can you believe the election is just 15 days away?

FIRST UP: It’s your last day to register to vote in California. Please share the deadline if you know someone who needs the info. Here’s Lara Korte’s story on how to register if you or your friends need the details.

NEXT UP: Catch Gov. Gavin Newsom today at Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Symposium hosted by the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. He’s expected to speak about 9:30 a.m. on the state’s green energy programs. You can catch the live-feed here.

GLORIA ALLRED COMES OUT SWINGING AGAINST PROP 22

The No on Prop. 22 campaign has brought in legal heavyweight Gloria Allred to speak out against the ballot initiative that would re-classify rideshare drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft as independent contractors.

Allred recorded a 30-second spot, titled “America’s Authority,” now airing online and statewide.

In the ad, Allred says that Uber and Lyft “are like every big guy I’ve ever brought down.”

She goes on to say that Proposition 22 would weaken sexual harassment laws which are meant to protect women.

Allred elaborated on this in an interview with The Sacramento Bee. She said that under Prop. 22, rideshare drivers who are victims of sexual harassment would not be able to file a complaint under the California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. In addition, companies like Uber and Lyft would not be required to do sexual harassment training or investigate claims of sexual harassment, she said.

“Under FEHA, they would be required to do that,” Allred said. “The requirement is important, there were protections passed by the Legislature under FEHA.”

The Yes on Prop. 22 campaign, backed by Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, is pouring more than $180 million into the campaign. It argues that gig drivers prefer the flexibility of work as independent contractors, and that new benefits promised in the initiative will raise drivers’ pay. They also argue the initiative contains requirements requiring gig companies to create sexual harassment policies to protect drivers and customers.

Allred, who is no stranger to picking high profile fights, said she got involved in the No on Prop. 22 campaign because the ballot measure is an important issue for working people, a group she said she’s championed for more than four decades.

“It appears that Uber and Lyft in my opinion are trying to save money at the expense of working people. And I just don’t think that’s right,” she said.

Allred said that many working people don’t have time to study voters guides before voting and get their information primarily from TV or the internet. She said she hoped her ad would make a difference.

“We’ve been fighting corporations and big business for many, many years,” she said. “It’s always a David vs. Goliath, or what I call a Davida vs. Goliath, battle.”

You can watch the ad here.

PETE WILSON STATUE COMES DOWN

Thirteen years after it went up, a San Diego statue honoring California’s 36th governor came down.

The statue of former Gov. Pete Wilson, which has its own Wikipedia page, stood in San Diego’s Horton Plaza until it was taken down by the nonprofit owner Horton Walk, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Horton Walk President Steve Williams told the Union-Tribune in an email that “All property … whether statues or real property … must be protected. With this in mind, we have decided to secure and protect the statue in a place of safekeeping.”

The statue had drawn criticism from civil rights groups, who protested Wilson’s record on LGBTQ and Latino issues. The two-term governor is remembered for backing Proposition 187 in 1994, which sought to prevent undocumented immigrants from using public services. He characterized the effort at the time as an effort to ration public resources for citizens.

“We cannot educate every child from here to Tierra del Fuego,” WIlson said at the time.

Cecilia Cabello, a senior adviser with the Yes on Prop 16 campaign, which seeks to undo another proposition Wilson championed that banned affirmative action in the state, praised the decision to remove the statue.

“Pete Wilson was the architect of some of the most inhumane, anti-Latino laws ever enacted in California. Under his leadership, our state banned affirmative action and bilingual education, and blocked undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare, education and other social services. Even in retirement, he continues to inflict wounds on the Latino community by endorsing Trump for his ‘very good judgment.,’” Cabello said in a written statement.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The Secretary of State and Attorney General didn’t know the facts and didn’t bother to learn them before accusing us on Monday. We can’t agree to not do something we weren’t doing to begin with. They could have shortened this press conference by simply saying ‘Sorry.’”

- The California GOP, via Twitter.

Best of the Bee:

• Fact check: Will California property tax initiative drive up food prices? via Sophia Bollag

• California officials have issued subpoenas for more information on the state Republican Party’s use of unofficial ballot drop boxes, via Lara Korte.

• President Donald Trump will reverse the decision to reject federal help for California’s wildfires, Rep. Tom McClintock and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday — and that could mean hundreds of millions of dollars to help recover from the state’s worst fire season in history, via David Lightman and Dale Kasler.

• NARAL Pro-Choice America called for Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to step down as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee following Feinstein’s comments at the conclusion of a hearing over Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court, via Andrew Sheeler.