SoCal, DOL Hearing, & Articles Galore
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good evening,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
If you’re just discovering my musings, here’s a backgrounder.
Pardon the radio silence. I got caught up in travels recently and am catching up on things. Thanks for bearing with me!
Here’s what I have for you today.
A California Homecoming
Last weekend, I traveled to Southern California for some downtime and to attend a dear friend’s wedding.
I primarily stayed in Los Angeles but also traveled to my hometown area of Orange County. I hadn’t been back since February 2017.
My homecoming was timed around the decade anniversary of my move out of California. The Golden State has been bleeding residents due to its high cost of living and radical politics. I’d like to think I left before it was “cool” to leave. But I don’t fault anyone for staying if they can tolerate it. It’s a beautiful place, but one poorly managed by terrible lawmakers.
Driving down the 405 and 5 seeing signs of “Limit Use of Water Outdoors” and no lush greenery was surreal. This is not the California I remember from my youth.
But it dawns upon me I don’t belong there anymore. Virginia is now home.
Nevertheless I greatly enjoyed my trip. My aunt showed me some “hidden gems” I missed out on growing up there. We first hiked over four miles around Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Park and admired great views of downtown Los Angeles.
For dinner, we ate at Yamashiro’s in Hollywood Hills. Let me say: this restaurant exceeded expectations and impressed with its dining offerings and location.
The next day, I drove down to Orange County to catch up with my childhood friend, Tin, and attend my friend Alyte’s wedding.
I met Tin at Puesto’s Los Olivos near Irvine Spectrum (one of our old hangout spots). Puesto’s is a local SoCal Mexican food chain that first opened in San Diego in 2012. It was muy delicioso.
Then I trekked down to San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente to attend Alyte’s wedding. (Gotta love make-up COVID-era weddings!)
Alyte, as some of you know, runs a VERY popular YouTube Channel called LegalBytes. Drop her a sub here.
After returning to L.A., my aunt and I drove north to Malibu to hike Point Dume State Beach and admire a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. Years ago, I told her visiting this place was on my wishlist. Goal unlocked!
That evening, we drove down to Redondo Beach to dine at Bluewater Grill, a local SoCal chain known for its seafood and fishing motifs.
Unbeknownst to me, it started in Newport Beach 25 years ago. Here’s the backstory:
Bluewater Grill was established in Newport Beach in 1996, by partners Rick Staunton and Jim Ulcickas. We have since grown into a family of seafood restaurants, located in resort communities, committed to serving guests pristine seafood, sustainably caught, and prepared classically or with a modern twist.
…
We believe that fin-tastic hospitality is all about authentic relationships.
Whether that’s you catching up with friends and loved ones over a meal or the connections made between our team and our loyal guests. It speaks to the collaborations we’ve created with longstanding partnerships with local fishermen and suppliers and the lifelong friendships that are made with the people that work to make Bluewater so great. These connections are the culture and life behind our restaurants that make us a family.
On Sunday, I met up with my friend Yvonne (who runs Flo Communications) for brunch at The Coffee Company in Westchester.
The afternoon consisted of around the Venice Beach canals and Marina del Rey before topping off a whirlwind trip at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills.
Before jetting back to Virginia, I concluded my California adventures at J Nichols Kitchen in Marina Del Rey. I highly recommend the “California” Omelette.
Until next time, homeland! Thanks for the memories.
DOL Worker Freedom Testimonial
On Wednesday, I spoke at my first hearing opposing the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to undo the Trump-era independent contractor rule.
The Independent Women’s Forum, where I serve as a Senior Fellow, issued a press release ahead of the forum:
Small business owners and freelancers Karen Anderson, Gabriella Hoffman, and Jennifer O’Connell will share on Wednesday their concerns about the undue burdens placed on freelancers and independent contractors at an open forum hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor. Both O’Connell and Anderson are storytellers at Independent Women’s Forum (IWF).
The open forum, titled “Worker Open Forum,” will be hosted online and will take place on June 29, 2022 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. EDT. The goal of the event is to “hear diverse perspectives from those who may be affected by employee or independent contractor classification.” Hoffman’s, O’Connell’s, and Anderson’s statements will address why federal labor policies modeled after California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), which redefined and severely limited independent contractors, would hurt small-business owners, many of whom are women seeking flexible work.
You can watch my full remarks, under two minutes, here. I was the sixth speaker. The Fight for Freelancers group has a great summary of both DOL forums.
Stay tuned. The fight to protect 59 million freelancer livelihoods isn’t over.
ICYMI
SEC’s New ESG Rule Hurts America’s Small Farms and Ranches (RealClearEnergy)
Sue and Settle Undermines True Conservation (Townhall)
Bipartisan Bill To Create Regulatory Framework For Cryptocurrency (IWF)
FACT CHECK: Is Solar An Important Part Of Addressing America’s Immediate Energy Needs? (IWF)
DOL Proceeds To Rewrite Trump-IC Rule Despite Court Ruling (IWF)
New 1099-K Filing Rule Adversely Impacting Small Business Owners (IWF)
Keep Abortion Clinics Off America’s Public Lands (Townhall)
Podcasts You May Have Missed
Catch up on District of Conservation episodes below.
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—Gabriella