KabaTalks

The Kabatecks, John and Brian, join us for another special KabaTalks episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast. As usual, the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a contentious issue – namely employer rights vs. workers’ rights in the age of coronavirus. John, a voice for small business, maintains that AB5 should be suspended in the face of a worldwide calamity that is swamping small businesses; Brian makes the case that the pandemic reveals the dangers to misclassified independent contract workers who suddenly find themselves with no income, no healthcare and no access to unemployment. Also on deck: how an insurance loophole is screwing businesses forced to close during the pandemic.

John Kabateck is a lifelong Republican and longtime spokesperson for the NFIB; Brian Kabateck is a lifelong Democrat and the former head of the Consumer Attorneys Association. John Howard and Tim Foster of Capitol Weekly guide the discussion, which focuses this week on AB5, the landmark labor law that seeks to clarify the distinctions between employees and independent contractors in the wake of the Dynamex decision. Unsurprisingly, the Kabatecks are on opposite sides of the fence on AB5, but - spoiler - do manage to find some common ground.

Brian and John Kabateck visit the podcast to answer the question on everyone's lips: what is Thanksgiving like for two brothers who are on opposing sides of nearly every political fight in the state? John Kabateck is a lifelong Republican and longtime spokesperson for the NFIB; Brian Kabateck is a lifelong Democrat and the former head of the Consumer Attorneys Association. The two sat down with John Howard and Tim Foster to talk about how they separate work, ideology and family, and on finding common ground.