An idiosyncratically idiotic new California law rightly has journalists across the country outraged. Signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, and set to take effect in the new year, Assembly Bill 5 bars specific industries from classifying workers as independent contractors.

Included in the Republican-opposed bill is a specific stipulation capping the total number of articles that freelance writers can be paid for at 35 per year. The short-sighted idea behind the bill was to force the creation of more formal employment in journalism, but of course, that isn’t going to happen. As you’d expect, the bill has instigated an uproar among the media.