SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill co-authored by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that grants a one-year extension for newspapers to comply with the state's new gig-worker law.

"I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through a year like 2020 without our community newspapers informing us about what's going on," Sen. Dodd said. "They are essential to the future of our very democracy and we must do what we can to keep them operating. Thank you to Gov. Newsom for signing this important law."

A gig worker is an independent contractor, normally grouped with self-employed and part-time workers.

Many newspapers face an existential crisis.

Nationwide, advertising revenue has declined by more than half over the past seven years, dropping from $25 billion in 2012 to $11 billion in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic has worsened the situation.

Assembly Bill 323, signed Wednesday, extends the deadline for compliance with Assembly Bill 5, a new law requiring gig workers including newspaper carriers to be classified as full-time employees.

AB 323 gives newspapers until Jan. 1, 2022 to comply.

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