Calvin Dobbins, Author at Los Angeleno

South Central Los Angeles Exudes Culture, But Can It Break The Black Monolith?

Calvin Dobbins September 13, 2022

Can a region’s geography stigmatize its reputation? South Central Los Angeles is pretty much the answer. The area is located within the city limits in the Southwestern part of LA County.

It’s a rectangular-shaped region placed like a puzzle piece in the heart of Los Angeles. According to a KCET report, it was renamed South Los Angeles in 2003. The area has undergone much unrest and racial oppression, which results in stereotypes by outsiders.

Who would forget the article published by the UK’s Daily Mail in September 2016? The derogatory headline with a subtle hint of racial slur writes about the area where the mother of Meghan Markle resides.

An excerpt from the article: “Plagued by crime and riddled with street gangs, the troubled Los Angeles neighborhood that Doria Ragland, 60, calls home couldn’t be more different to London’s leafy Kensington. But social worker Ragland might now find herself welcoming a royal guest to downtrodden Crenshaw after Prince Harry was revealed to be dating her daughter…...”

It shows that the British press fails to make a clear distinction between the geographical and historical aspects of South Los Angeles—a derogatory statement without much research. In reality, Meghan’s mother lives in the Crenshaw neighborhood of View Park, an affluent part of the region.

South Central LA has a population of over 800,000, which many assume are predominantly blacks. That’s what the outsiders think generally. However, the region comprises different races enriched with culture that needs to be embraced instead of sidestepping because of the stigma around it.

Can it break the stereotype? Many people paint this region badly because of its location. They often stigmatize the area or see it mainly as the African-American community. But beneath it, the place has a different story to offer.

Geographical Aspect Of South Los Angeles

The region is 51 square miles and has over twenty-five neighborhoods and five unincorporated areas. One of the attributes that makes this region invisible is because of the boundaries. It doesn’t have clean boundaries and determines mainly on the imaginary borders.

Take Historic South Central, a prominent neighborhood in the region that is 2.55 square miles. The area is bounded by Washington Boulevard, Vernon Venue, and Flower Street and runs along the historic Central Avenue to the east.

Central Avenue became the epicenter of African Americans after the 20^th century. The community-owned various business establishments and residences. It was also referred to as the “Black Belt of the city.”

Another instance is Tom’s Market- A one-story high brown brick building located at the center of the infamous 1992 conflict caused by the Rodney King trial’s verdict. It’s away from the intersection of Normandie and Florence Avenues.

It is situated within the imaginary borders of the South Central but geographically outside of the historic South Central. Leimert, Baldwin Hill, and Crenshaw neighborhoods are also located outside this perimeter.

Transcending Geographic Limit Through Race

South LA demographics have changed massively. The early 1970s saw South American immigrants relocating to this region. The 1980s saw street gangs becoming more powerful and dominant in different areas. These attributes made the outsiders paint this region as notorious or ghetto.

The Crenshaw Boulevard expands over twenty-three miles long with vehicles taking this route from Mid-Wilshire to North Via Central LA. The boulevard passes Crenshaw district, which includes affluent areas such as Windsor Hills and View Park. It ends in the Rolling area, which is also a wealthy location.

Regardless, anywhere there are African Americans, the east side of Interstate 405 is culturally called ‘South Los Angeles.’ It also comes with a subtle hint of derogatory remarks. The same can also be said for border cities such as Compton, Long Beach, and Inglewood, which share similar demographics. These cities are not part of South Central geographically.

Like in any place or area, the inhabitants of South LA live an ordinary life. Movies and pop culture may have shown a different image, but quite a contrast when it comes to reality. It’s not surprising that many have formed a notion of this region based on what they have seen in different forms of media.

Mr. Ronald, a writer and doctoral candidate comments that South LA differs from other parts of Los Angeles. He said it’s a region comprising multiple types of citizens holding different job positions from higher levels to a simple designation.

He also added the region is working class like any other neighborhood in Los Angeles. Furthermore, Ronald said that South LA is also home to well-known personalities like Ray Charles, Tina Turner, and Steve Wonder.

Amidst prominent personalities residing in this region, violence, crime, street gangs, and illegal drugs exist. Since the African-American became the face of South Central LA, the community has suffered from stereotypes the most.

However, when we refer to the 2000 census, Latinos are the majority, comprising 87.2%. The black community makes up to 10.1 % of the historic South LA. Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, and Crenshaw district are the areas that are predominantly black. The affluent African-American resides in Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, and Baldwin Hills, located on the West Coast.

However, the place of African Americans in this region is continuously disappearing. Raymond, a South LA resident for almost seventy years, moved here from Texas in 1955.

He states that the biggest issue in the Black community is selling properties the parents have left. One of his pals sold his grandmother’s house and moved to Moreno Valley. His friend lived rent-free in his grandma’s duplex but eventually sold off the property after she passed away.

It’s understandable why some want to leave this area and start anew. Regardless, the region is not what it was years ago. Crime rates have declined by the early 2010s, police patrol has improved, and there is redevelopment. Various initiative programs to lower crime rates and gang activities have also started to improve the community.

South LA may have witnessed some of the worst social unrest and racial oppression, but the region has thrived regardless. Outsiders may think of this place as a ghetto or area with gangs, but not many have seen it beneath the area. The region has more to offer than what it’s portrayed in the media.

People from different races and communities live in peace and acknowledge each other. Once seen as a Black monolith, South LA now comprises multiple races. With time, the existence of various races has somehow broken stereotypes.

Of course, crimes and violence still exist, but they have improved than what it was years ago. People residing in these areas have no complaints, and most have said that their neighborhoods are quiet and peaceful.

A Brief History of South LA And Its Culture

Historically, South Central LA has undergone complex changes that encapsulate spatial inequality. It’s a region that has witnessed some of the largest protests against racial oppression. Despite many unrests and racial wars, South LA has withstood against time.

The 1980s saw massive migration of Central Americans and Mexicans to the South Central. Due to economic instability, many have moved to this region. Despite the indifferences, peace between these communities was maintained as time passed.

Pre-WWII-South Central LA was diverse, like the Eastern neighborhood of Boyle Heights. Mexicans, Jews, Italians, Chinese, Japanese, and Blacks lived together as they were prohibited from residing where the Whites lived.

The region is an architectural delight with prominent historic places. For instance, there is an 80-year-old theatre with Spanish-style art deco in Leimert Park. As per culturela.org., this vision theatre was once run by Fox West Coast Theaters.

Also, there is the famous Los Angeles Coliseum, which is the place of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. Furthermore, who can forget the Watts Towers? It is a group of seventeen interconnected structures built by Simon Rodia, an Italian immigrant, which took over thirty years.

Kendrick, a sixteen-year-old high school student, is pursuing software coding. He said the people are surprised that many reputed institutions are situated within the area borders of South Los Angeles.

Swiveling his gaming chair, he proudly said there are excellent universities and a Natural History Museum. Also, commenting on his neighbors, he said some are nice, while he grew up with some of them. He added that some are not safe.

It’d be unfair to paint the citizens of South LA as bad people or the region unsafe. The area is blessed with a Mediterranean climate and has fantastic neighborhood policies. In short, it’s an amalgamation of good and bad.

One may encounter the Crips and Bloods gang in these areas, at the same time come across scholars, students, anime nerds, celebrities, doctors, and dentists. There are affluent families, as well as those that are struggling.

Which city or region doesn’t have this socioeconomic disparity? Eventually, you have a narrow mind if you consider everyone in South LA to be avoided. They are not degenerate, nor are they hopeless.

Strange Days

The Lizard People Of Los Angeles Real Or Fantasy?

Calvin Dobbins April 30, 2020

When residents in Los Angeles opened the front pages of the L.A. Times on the morning of January 29, 1934, some of them might have spilled their coffee out of shock at seeing the headlines. It was strange, exciting, and there was also an error. It read “Lizard Peolpe’s Catacomb City Hunted.” Legends about the lizard people had always been there, but it must have been the first time that print media featured a story on the topic.

Jean Bosquet, an L.A. Times reporter, wrote the story on the claims of G. Warren Shufelt, a mining engineer. According to Shufelt, he had created a machine, “Radio X-Ray,” and mapped the area, which displayed amazing things.

Shufelt said the X-ray showed a massive network of tunnels beneath Los Angeles covering a vast area. Supposedly, these tunnels weren’t built by our ancestors but by another race called the “Lizard People.” He also said that several locations in the tunnels contained treasures.

The Newspaper Report That Aroused The Curiosity

So, did Lizard People exist and inhabit the undergrounds of modern L.A.? Or were they just rumors or folk tales of the past? We may never know, but it’s an exciting theory. But many people like Shufelt believed it. Here is a quote from the Jean Bosquet story dated January 29, 1934.

“Busy Los Angeles, although little realizing it in the hustle and bustle of modern existence, stands above a lost city of catacombs filled with incalculable treasure and imperishable records of a race of humans further advanced intellectually and scientifically than even the highest type of present-day peoples, in the belief of G. Warren Shufelt, geophysical mining engineer now engaged in an attempt to wrest from the lost city deep in the earth below Fort Moore Hill the secrets of the Lizard People of legendary fame in the medicine lodges of the American Indian.”

The reporter must have been over-excited because he hardly takes a breath to give the reader this exciting and weird information. The article continues and mentions that Shufelt and his assistants truly believed that there were indeed tunnels and treasures under Los Angeles. So they had already started digging and inserted a shaft 250 feet inside the earth. The entrance of the shaft was on North Hill Street.

Shufelt trusted his device entirely, and therefore, he wanted to continue inserting the shaft below until it reached a thousand feet. He and his aides planned to stop after that if the venture yielded no positive result. The dig didn’t produce the desired outcome, so Shufelt and his aides abandoned the project by December of that year.

Along with the story, the newspaper also printed a map created by Shufelt according to his findings with the help of the X-ray machine. Readers can understand the structure of the tunnels by looking at the image printed on page 5 of the paper.

The image showed an artist’s imagination of the Lizard People working on the top right-hand side. On the left-hand side, it showed Shufelt and his assistants at the entrance of the shaft and below the engineer working with his device. The series of tunnels occupied the center of the image/map.

The tunnels were basically under the areas of Fort Moore Place, North Broadway, and North Hill Street. The article indicates that Shufelt and his aides believed that the Lizard People had a “Key Room” located under Broadway and 2nd Street. The “Key Room” was supposedly a place where the ancient race made plans and stored all their treasures and important information written on gold tablets.

Investigations into people’s hunt for treasure by a Times reporter indicated that some enthusiasts dug but didn’t find any significant amount of gold. The reporter also discovered that a Times report from around May 1934 said that an old-time prospector requested to dig on the hill, but the authorities denied permission. It was because the county made a deal with Shufelt and his assistants to share 50-50 of any profit obtained from the dig.

Lizard People: Fact Or Fantasy

What made G. Warren Shufelt so convinced that the Lizard People really existed in the past and that they left behind a vast series of tunnels and gold underneath Los Angeles? After Shufelt’s machine showed the results, which he believed to be an extensive tunnel system, he met a Hopi Native American in Arizona who told him the legend about the “Lizard People.”

As per the story that appeared in the L.A. Times, The Hopi chief told Shufelt that around five thousand years back, a massive inferno burned down the whole area of present Los Angeles. The inferno is said to have been caused by a meteorite. Therefore, the “Lizard People” built at least three cities beneath the spot where L.A. stands today. It’s believed that the tunnel system is so vast that it reaches up to the sea coast.

The term “Lizard People” bestowed on the ancient race isn’t because they were reptilian in nature, as some conspiracy theories suggest today, or the kind shown in movies. Instead, they considered the lizard as a vital being, and it symbolized long life. This race built the underground cities in the shape of the lizard, according to Shufelt’s narration.

One of the cities shaped like a lizard below Los Angeles had its head under the Dodger Stadium. The site beneath downtown Central Library was the location of the tail.

The curiosity regarding the “Lizard People” increased even more when the “Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research” received a letter from a woman on September 26, 1934, who made some weird and shocking claims.

The woman mentioned in the letter that she had a vision one evening on December 22, 1933, when she was with some friends. According to reports, her friends also confirmed the clairvoyant moment which the lady had.

She described that in her vision, she saw two civilizations at different times. One was a more recent one that had excelled in art and architecture and surpassed whatever is present today. The other vision was about an older civilization that consisted of cities underground with giant tunnels, some extending to the oceans.

She thought that this older civilization built underground tunnels to prevent attacks from other people and also to safeguard their society. Her friends said that Miss Edith had the vision before there was any mention of the Lizard People by the local media.

An Alternate Theory

While many people got curious about the Lizard People, the tunnels, and the buried treasure, others had different views regarding the story in the L.A. Times. Several individuals have said that the mining engineer’s “discovery” was nothing but an attempt to gain attention, and his claims were “tall tales.”

The report said that G. Warren Shufelt spread the rumor so that he would get a chance to dig and look for the so-called treasure. This theory emerged after being compared to another rumor suggesting Protestant graveyards in the 1930s held significant treasures.

It was a kind of “get rich quick scheme” with great promises but which delivered nothing. It seemed like that because digs and hunts didn’t yield anything that Shufelt initially claimed.

Urban Legend

Whether it was a hoax or not, Shufelt’s story about the network of underground tunnels and the Lizard People has become an urban legend. Locals and visitors are still curious, and indeed, Shufelt’s machine was right about one thing. There are tunnels beneath Los Angeles.

Rumors abound that people used these tunnels to transport alcohol during the prohibition era. These tunnels are enormous, and some areas have huge hall-like spaces, but these are considered natural formations and not artificial.

Though the story says that the Lizard People were superior humans who revered lizards, there is another theory regarding them. According to this theory, they are called lizard people because they’re reptilians who can shift shape at will.

The assumption is that this race has a serpent/lizard head and a human body and has already infiltrated humankind and taken over the world. But that is a story for another time.

Though the project was discontinued, Shufelt disappeared from public view, and the stories stopped in the papers; people’s imagination didn’t. If anyone asks a resident about the Lizard People, they’ll hear the most amazing stories.

Rumor, hoax, legend, or whatever people call it, there is something to ponder. Most legends have some truth to it. So, who knows? Maybe there existed a race who were superior to modern humans and built the underground tunnels and cities.

While there isn’t any evidence yet, experts may someday develop highly sophisticated devices that can capture images hundreds and thousands of feet beneath the ground. Then only will the answers be found, and everyone will know whether there indeed are the famous tunnels and treasure trove.

Until then, enthusiasts can read stories, ask old-timers about it, and examine the map on various platforms. They can come up with their opinions regarding the legendary superior humans because, whether real or not, no law prohibits people from fantasizing about anything.

Strange Days

Famous Silver Lake Foot Sign Saved

Calvin Dobbins September 27, 2019

Silver Lake and its town people saw a feat and an action so close to their hearts the day their infamous and favorite silver lake foot sign was saved from apparent theft. On a fateful evening, Markus Spencer, the store owner, of “Quirk this way” at Los Feliz by Vermont Avenue, had an idea that something sinister was afoot.

Markus wouldn’t be easily convinced that two men in their black sedan were screeching their car tires. As Markus observed these men further, they were unfazed by what they seemed to be doing. They were unscrewing one of the letters from the silver lake foot sign. Markus stated, “I know when something is fishy, I own a quirky store myself. I know when something is weird.”

In his store, ‘quirk this way, ‘ Markus sells weird-looking antiques to t-shirts with worms on a skateboard design. Markus also sports wall frames with views overlooking silver lake town and the picture of the silver lake foot sign at sunset. Markus Spencer is the kind of man everyone knows and is fond of. The way he makes the city his home is seen from the measures and steps he takes to save the silver foot sign as though it were his own. The town’s people, including Markus Spencer, have long become fond of the iconic silver lake foot sign.

The Silver Lake foot sign first made it’s spin dating back to 1985. Ever since then, the sign twirling around the sunset rays of Sunset Boulevard has become the town’s favorite and signature. So, Markus did not waste any minute when he sensed something odd and fishy about these two men. Upon questioning them under whose order they were doing what they were doing, still, the two men did not respond to Markus. He, therefore, contacted the motel and alerted the town people on his Instagram and in a public community group on Facebook.

The motel contacted Dr. Sam Terry, who is the owner and the podiatrist of the Silver Lake foot clinic. Dr. Terry then confirmed that no order was issued for these two men or anyone to take the foot sign away. At first, it must’ve occurred to some bystanders and onlookers besides Markus, who might’ve thought nothing was wrong because there had been news that this foot clinic would be relocating to a new place. But for Markus, it was a feat he couldn’t stop himself from doing since he has been with Dr. Sam Terry since the start of a well-documented plan for this relocation.

Markus recalls the situation when he questioned the two men unscrewing the panels about who they were working for, and they couldn’t seem to answer his queries. Markus added, “It was too unamusing to see their confusion and the silence that followed after the questions.” But the unwavering effort of a local person like Markus saved the sign that entirely symbolizes the sunset boulevard of Silver Lake.

Markus decided to sit under the sign in the hopes that extra help would soon arrive while he tried to hinder the two men from continuing their uninvited service of theft. Eventually, Spencer could do what he was hoping for, and his effort finally paid off, and the town’s iconic sign stood still.

The town people were all happy to have their favorite old sign back. A man and his wife strolling commented, “we were scared and sad thinking we might never see the iconic sign of the town again.” Another woman with her child outside their house stood in awe and commented, “I mean, it’s as old as my house. I was in shock to see the chaos around the sign earlier.” After the situation was brought under control, there were questions arising. Markus Spencer, in his success of saving the sign, was so excited to tell the story to the people and answer the questions.

Dr. Sam Terry seemed so much at ease and relieved knowing his foot sign was saved from possible robbery. Dr. Terry and along with the co-owner of the clinic and the property, proposed to keep the sign with Markus Perry at his store before further relocation to the new location. At this, Markus was all the more willing to accept the proposal to keep it in his store. Markus added, “I have a soft spot in my heart for silver lake foot sign and being able to keep it safe will definitely keep my heart full.”At this, Markus was all the more willing to accept the proposal to keep it in his store. Markus added, “I have a soft spot in my heart for silver lake foot sign and being able to keep it safe will definitely keep my heart full.”

Dr. Sam and the owner of the property, Mr. Ricky Kelly, were so grateful and at ease knowing that their property and the sign were both far from being destroyed. Dr. Sam, the podiatrist of the clinic, was planning on relocating the clinic to a new location in the historic Filipinotown, and, therefore, Markus was helping him out in taking the measurements of the sign, arranging the pick-up trucks to help in the shifting of the clinic.

Due to this close association with the clinic and especially during the relocation process, Markus was aware of the people helping him and the doctor with the clinic’s shifting process. Therefore, when he saw the two men in their black sedan trying to unscrew the panels while looking extremely unfazed, yet it was not a show to be missed out on for Markus Spencer. The faces of the two men were not familiar nor were they able to answer the questions.

Markus commented, “They looked like they were not bothered or maybe that was their plan to seem unfazed at their actions to avoid any commotion but Markus knows when things are weird.” The whole situation alarmed the people of the town, and almost all the people living in a close proximity to the clinic came rushing as Markus was quick to alarm the people through his social media accounts.

Silver lake town saw something they never thought would happen in their lives where a sign that has been a part of the city for a very long time will undergo through something like a theft. Markus Spencer became the talk of the town as well as a hero who bravely saved the sign from the thieves. In all his quirkiness, Markus was excited to narrate the story to the town people, who were all very curious to know the details as to what actually happened.

The headlines in the news the next day read, “Los Feliz Store Owner rescues the famous Silver Lake Foot sign from Thieves,” and Markus couldn’t help but feel super proud and happy. He felt a sense of true belonging to the town he had been calling home for so many years.

The thieves were trying to escape the scene, but the motel Markus alarmed first was also quick enough to report a possible theft to the nearby police station, and so the police were able to arrest the two men before they could escape from the scene.

In what first seemed like a sudden situation of chaos and confusion, it finally came to a good and successful conclusion where the sign was saved, and the police nabbed the thieves.

Dr. Terry commented, “I am so happy not only because my clinic was saved but to see the corporation of the people. This is what I call a good community.”

He further added to the loyalty of Markus and the rest of the town people how they sincerely took ownership of something which is not in their possession. Dr. Terry was deeply moved by the action of the people.

Markus Spencer also gave a massive shoutout to the manager of the motel he first alarmed of the situation for his willingness to help and not doubt the problem that was going on.

When asked the motel manager what his first reactions were, he replied, “I sensed a great deal and sense of urgency as though my own house was in danger.”

The reactions and the way all the concerned people in the scene reacted and their successful outcomes only teach us the lesson that you need to be accountable for your existence and your being.

“The selfless act of doing and being never goes to waste,” said Markus Spencer as he stood beside the clinic shaking hands and hugging the people of the town, who were all appreciative and thankful for his service that day.

The people of silver lake town were so happy they could retrieve back one of their favorite signs. The silver lake foot sign gives you the feeling of being at home for the town’s people. As many of the people grew up seeing the sign when it was first put up. And for the rest of the older generation, it feels like a sign of good old days, recalling when they were a little younger, a little stronger.

Besides the fact that a possible robbery was going to take place in this peaceful neighborhood, we also saw the beauty of a community that comes hand-in-hand in times of trouble.

People

Uber Drivers Say “No Thanks” To AB 5: Flexibility Is Better Than Becoming Employees

Calvin Dobbins August 29, 2019

Rideshare drivers show massive displeasure after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s assembly Bill 5, designed to reclassify independent contractors as regular employees.

Although coming with good intentions, AB 5 fails to consider the ground-level repercussions, ultimately making things more difficult for gig economy workers.

We’ve seen several protests and anger over the widescale ill-treatment of drivers by rideshare giants like Uber and Lyft. But when it comes down to it, most drivers prefer having the flexibility and freedom to choose their own timings over becoming employees. Let’s explore why.

Why Drivers Reject AB 5

On paper, the AB 5 bill seems to give gig workers a cushy deal on a silver platter. The new reform would bring positive changes like paid sick leaves, health benefits, and stringent minimum wage rules. So why is the bill met with a scoff and a general thumbs down?

It’s very simple; drivers can turn on the app when they want to work and switch it off when they’re done. It makes things like dropping their kids off at school and picking them back up an easy task. What’s more, no one can stop them from taking a month off, or even two for that matter. Right now, the companies they work with don’t have the power to control them, and that could change with the AB 5 bill.

Of course, plenty of other companies claim to offer flexible hours. But it’s nothing like the freedom you get when driving for Uber or Lyft on your own terms and timings.

With all this to consider, we aren’t surprised that drivers aren’t the least bit interested in letting all that go to become full-time employees of a company that never really bothered about their problems in the first place. And that’s why most drivers would rather quit.

A Night At An LAX Lot

We traveled to an LAX holding lot, where we interviewed several drivers waiting for their next rides. The consensus amongst these drivers is that they prefer flexibility over anything else. Choosing their own working hours is the biggest reason they do this, and no amount of benefits can replace it.

Amidst the sound of planes flying overhead, we spoke to Hayk, an Uber driver with severe concerns over the new bill. “They (Lawmakers) don’t live our lives,” he says as he patiently waits for the next ping.

Hayk lives in a two-bedroom apartment for which he pays $2500. His wife works a full-time job, so he has to take the kids to school and pick them up afterward. He emphasizes that no other job with particular shift timings will allow him to do all that. Being an Uber driver is the only way he can take care of his personal chores and work at his convenience.

When asked about the health benefits, Hayk sneers and voices his skepticism. He doesn’t believe the benefits are worth giving up his freedom and signing up as an employee. “Any time they change something, they make it worse.”

“If you’re not driving over 50 hours a week, you cannot make any money”, Says Brain Lee, a Pasadena-based driver with over two years of experience. Lee usually drives approximately 50 to 60 hours weekly, and the new law might prevent him from doing so.

You see, the moment Lee becomes an employee, his company would have to pay him overtime for the extra hours. It might sound on paper, but it’s not practical when you think about it.

The app won’t send him trip requests after he crosses the 40-hour threshold. Beyond this point, he would need special permission to keep getting requests. It will force him to moonlight at a different company if he wants to make up for the remaining 20 hours.

And then there’s the question of companies simply cutting down on the number of available drivers. That’s something employees won’t have any control over, unlike now. Becoming an employee puts them at the company’s whims and brings the possibility of getting fired due to downsizing, budget cuts, or any other factor.

An Arcadia chef, Joel Turk, speaks to us with a soft-spoken charm. Turk would have been open to getting health benefits six months back when his wife was a contract worker. But ever since she got a studio job with health benefits, Turk isn’t enticed by the offer anymore.

The Smokey-Robinson look-alike owns several large vehicles, which allows him to make small deliveries for UPS and work as an XL category driver for Lyft and Uber. He also uses his cars for his catering company.

As a father of four kids who attend four different schools, Turk needs the time to drop off and pick up all his children. His cooking and food preps also make his work (driving) timings very particular. Considering all of the above, there’s no way he would agree to become a ride-sharing company employee that would make him conform to stringent work timings.

Lyft Driver and Orange County resident, Kent, seems more relaxed on the matter than his peers. He believes it will take years for any change to come through, and he’s not exactly wrong. There will obviously be many court hearings and appeals before anything solid occurs. Plus, several delivery startups and rideshare companies already plan on fighting the bill tooth and nail. All of this indicates a lengthy and expensive trial.

“They’re willing to spend $30 million to fight it? Just pay us that $30 million.”, Kent jokes. He used to drive for Amazon some years back and had plenty of criticism regarding the ever-decreasing ride fares. Kent believes that companies keep trying to make rides cheaper through pool systems. He compares it to public transportation and claims it will ruin things for everyone.

After all, what’s the point of bringing down prices to $2 per ride if nobody makes any money in the end? Ride-sharing is convenient for people; if they wanted to go on the bus, they would spend $2 over there instead.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 06: Uber vehicles are lined up at the new ‘LAX-it’ ride-hail passenger pickup lot at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on November 6, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The airport has instituted a ban on Lyft, Uber and taxi curbside pickups as airport construction increases during a modernization program. Passengers have complained of long wait times and confusion at the pickup area, especially during peak hours. Passengers must depart their terminal and then ride a shuttle bus or walk to the separate pickup lot. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Analyzing The Real Problem

By this point, we’ve understood that the AB 5 bill brings many problems for the people it aims to help. Forcing companies to pay a regulated minimum wage and provide health insurance sounds like the noble thing to do. However, we must also ask where the money for such policies will come from.

We’ve already seen the downsides of the $15 per hour rule. Rather than help employees, it ended up with many losing shifts and jobs, as smaller companies couldn’t afford to pay these wages. As a result, many businesses had to downsize just to make a profit. We fear the same will happen due to the AB 5 bill.

Harry Campbell runs a popular podcast and blog called the “Rideshare Guy” and offers us some fascinating insight over the phone. According to him, turning freelance drivers into employees can solve rideshare companies’ oldest problem: driver retention.

Companies constantly have to spend tons of money just to replace the drivers they have lost. Looking at a leaked report from 2017, we can confirm that only 4% of drivers stayed with a company for more than one year. It is mainly because the work is incredibly stressful, highly demanding, and less profitable than people think.

What’s glaringly evident is that companies will face increased costs in the wake of employee benefits. Campbell suspects that this will result in a slight increase in fare prices, approximately $2 per ride.

The multi-talented persona reveals that customers didn’t have to pay the full price for rides until now. Companies deliberately decreased fare prices to get more customers while spending millions yearly on bonuses to get drivers to continue working.

He also points out that most company losses are subsidized, thanks to venture capitalists. As a result, customers, corporate employees, and investors walked out with a fantastic deal. However, things have always stayed the same for drivers or gotten even worse. Campbell claims that the only supporters of the AB 5 bill are the same drivers who have faced the worst scenarios so far.

Conclusion

The AB 5 bill will be closely watched by everyone at this point. As of now, most drivers don’t seem to support the bill and state they would rather quit than be forced to become Lyft or Uber employees. Freedom is the most important thing for these drivers, and we can’t really blame them.

Our investigation has brought to light several issues with the AB 5 bill, which presents itself as a noble fix and solution for the plights of millions of gig workers in the country. Forcing companies to reclassify gig workers as “employees” might increase costs, ultimately making things worse for the drivers. If profit margins are threatened, companies will simply terminate a large portion of drivers or have to increase ride prices, ultimately leading to fewer customers. After much analysis, it’s clear that the AB 5 bill is far from perfect, and as the sun rises over Los Angeles, we are left wondering, who does the AB 5 bill really benefit? Definitely not the drivers.