Although the aftermath of the presidential election has dominated headlines since Election Day, California saw a development that strikes at the heart of its own self-governance. Foreign-influenced U.S. corporations spent tens of millions of dollars to help pass Proposition 22, invalidating a California law and allowing the companies to classify their workers as contractors instead of employees.
One of these corporations – Uber – is partially owned and controlled by the government of Saudi Arabia. Another corporation – Lyft – is partially owned by a Chinese conglomerate. This means that Saudi Arabian and Chinese investors played a role – at least indirectly – in determining the fate of important California policy. The time has come for state and federal leaders to pass common-sense laws to stop foreign influence in our elections via American corporations.
The above excerpt was originally published in The Mercury News.
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