My name is Whitson Gordon. I'm a freelance writer in San Diego, and what follows is an explanation of how @LorenaSGonzalez and the state of California are hurting my career with #AB5.
@LorenaSGonzalez I write a lot. I write a lot because I really, really love what I do. I also write a lot because I financially support my wife, son, and daughter, who I love more than life itself.
@LorenaSGonzalez At this point, I make more money freelancing than I could at any full-time job as a writer or editor. And the flexibility has allowed me to be home and watch these two little kids grow into beautiful little human beings. 
I am so grateful to be able to be this present in my kids' lives every day. I have friends who barely get to see their children, stuck at the office 12 hours a day so their family can have a good life. I don’t want that.
I am extremely lucky in the opportunities I've been given that got me here. But I've also worked extremely hard to build this business, and the state of California is dismantling much of what I've worked for with #AB5.
This new law says that I can only write 35 articles a YEAR until a company must consider me an employee. I easily exceed this with many of my clients.
I understand the intent, but anyone with sense could see exactly how this would work in the real world: companies aren't going to hire their freelancers, they're going to limit us to 35 articles, or cut us off entirely. And that’s exactly what’s happening.
Writers' organizations told Ms. Gonzalez that 35 was not enough. Frankly, it's crazy that journalists are treated differently than marketers, who have NO limit on how much they can freelance. But she ignored them, and pushed this remarkably hurtful bill through anyway.
There is nothing I can do to work around this. Incorporating as an LLC, "bundling" my submissions, and other loopholes are meaningless, because it's not about how I (or my awesome editors) interpret the law.
What matters is how publications interpret the law--or rather, the higher-ups and the teams of lawyers at those publications, whose job it is to be risk-averse and protect the company from lawsuits.
So here I sit, waiting to hear back from my clients, and wondering if I'm going to lose 30% of my income (or more) with the snap of California's fingers on January 1st.
I cannot begin to explain the stress this has put on me and my family. I know there are no guarantees in this business. I could lose clients to layoffs, or to a recession. But I never thought the government would just take work away from me arbitrarily.
Some of you may not sympathize with me, given that I’m a white male with a privileged upbringing. But yesterday, I met a lot of people who are going to hurt even worse from this.
What about the students who can’t break into the industry because they can’t freelance enough to build a portfolio? What about the woman I met with a chronic illness, for whom a full time job is unfeasible, but who has built herself a good freelancing career that's shrinking?
Last night, I completely broke down over this. I've never felt so powerless in my own ability to provide for my family. Not even when I've been laid off.
There is no reason for this to be happening, yet politicians are taking away my livelihood because they wouldn't listen to the very people they claim they want to help.
So @LorenaSGonzalez, @GavinNewsom, and everyone else...please fix this. If this goes south enough, and my clients react as strongly as Vox did, I could be forced to leave California, as I know some already are.
@LorenaSGonzalez @GavinNewsom Listen to your constituents. You are hurting, not helping. And you need to #FixAB5 NOW.
@LorenaSGonzalez @GavinNewsom Not to add on to an already long thread, but thank you so much to everyone who has responded, messaged, and retweeted in support. It really means the world to me
@LorenaSGonzalez @GavinNewsom Also, now that my mentions have turned into a bit more political bickering, I feel it's important to say that I am espousing no partisan ideals with this thread. It's just my story. I know people affected by this on both sides of the aisle, and that's why its so important to fix.
