From the AP:

“By classifying its armed guards and other personnel as independent contractors instead of employees, Blackwater has apparently evaded withholding and paying these taxes,” Waxman, D-Calif., wrote in a letter to Blackwater chief Erik Prince.

You can read the letter here, and Blackwater’s response, here.

I apologize for having nothing further on SB 622.  Senator Padilla’s office, who is usually very quick to get back to me, has not returned my calls asking for comment on the veto of SB 622.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there will be no veto override attempt, because it won’t happen.  I will also guess that another independent contractor bill will be coming next year.  I would like to properly report these things instead of just analyze and guess, but that’s all I’ve got right now.

Independent contractor misclassification becomes a bigger and bigger trend.

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If you wonder why I obsess over S.B. 622—which stands little chance of becoming law—it’s because I believe it is part of a trend of increasing enforcement of the independent contractor/employee distinction.  Shaw Valenza has a good rundown of the case here, and I won’t repeat their work.

In a nutshell, the Court of Appeal wasn’t buying the independent contractor argument.