[bobthepanda]

What citizens want is fickle and entirely depends on framing and knowledge.

Citizens want goods for cheaper, obviously. But citizens also like the concept of people and companies doing "their fair share". For example a fair amount of people were outraged when it was revealed that official Walmart policy was to direct underpaid employees into Medicaid, EBT, etc. rather than just paying them to afford basic life expenses. And the gig economy if anything manages to be even more exploitative than that.

[manigandham]

Citizens also want to be able to earn income as independent contractors, the way they have for decades in many other industries. But above all, citizens would like to be able to choose for themselves instead of having a few people with no idea of their experience tell them what they must do.

[bobthepanda]

You mean like the way all citizens are entitled to choose their representatives that passed AB5 in the first place?

California has a strong history of voters holding politicians doing unpopular things accountable (see: Gray Davis) or doing things that override the will of politicians (see: Prop 13). There has not been strong voter organization against AB5, which speaks volumes about how much of a non-issue it is for voters.

[manigandham]

In reality, most voters are ignorant and irrational while the state govt is especially dysfunctional, unrepresentative, and full of graft. That's why there are so many problems here in the first place. When CA gives more rights to illegal immigrants than tax-paying citizens, there's clearly something wrong.