“We have to band together”

A full-time freelance writer for four years, Maressa Brown wants to “lift others up to pursue this type of work” and live the life she used to dream about while tethered to a desk in an office, chasing what she mistakenly thought was the model New York writer’s life.

Then she heard about legislation in California for AB5, which would cap a freelance writer’s contribution to an outlet at 35 articles a year. If the writer wished to continue, they had to be considered an employee. Brown, who lives in West Hollywood and whose and , knew it was a flawed law, one that would derail the life she had built.