Date: May 21, 2024
Contact: Molly Weedn, (415) 209-4217
[email protected]

The Coalition to Protect App Based Drivers + Services Responds to Conclusion of California Supreme Court Oral Arguments on Proposition 22

Castellanos v. State of California was upheld in the Court of Appeals last year 

Today, defendants in Castellanos v. State of California presented oral arguments before the California Supreme Court to make the case for upholding last year’s Court of Appeal ruling and maintaining Proposition 22.

“We believe that the law is very clear and that the will of the people should be upheld, once and for all,” said Kurt Oneto, partner at Neilsen Merksemer and counsel for the Protect App-Based Services + Providers Coalition (PADS). “We are confident that the California Supreme Court will do the right thing.” 

A full list of amicus briefs submitted in support of the defendants can be found here. Brief signers include app-based drivers, scholars from the California Constitution Center, the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference, National Action Network chapters, former Fair Practice Political Commission (FPPC) officials, USC Initiative & Referendum Institute, economists and many more.   

“App-based driving and the flexibility it affords me has been essential to my survival over the past several years,” said Stephanie Whitfield, a Palm Springs area Instacart Shopper. “Because I can set my own hours and work when it’s convenient for me, I’ve been able to start a business and take care of chronic health issues. I hope the Supreme Court does the right thing and upholds the law that so many Californians voted to support.” 

Nearly 60 percent of California voters passed Prop 22 in November 2020, protecting the ability of app-based rideshare and delivery drivers to remain independent contractors while providing historic new benefits including guaranteed earnings and access to a health care stipend. In survey after survey, one thing is consistently and overwhelmingly clear: drivers want to remain independent contractors. 

About Protect App-Based Drivers & Services (PADS) Coalition

The Protect App-Based Drivers & Services (PADS) coalition, formerly the Yes on Prop 22 coalition, is continuing to engage to ensure the will of California voters is upheld; to protect access to independent, app-based jobs; and to preserve the availability, affordability and reliability of on-demand app-based rideshare and delivery services that are essential to Californians and our economy.

Proposition 22 was supported by nearly 60% of California voters, 120,000 drivers, and a diverse coalition of more than 140 groups including social justice, senior, community, business, veterans and many others.