An existential threat to victims’ rights in California

The latest on CAOC’s fight against the Uber initiative to limit victim’s recoverable medical damages and cap contingency fees to limit their access to PI attorneys

2026 March

On October 3, Uber filed a deceptive ballot initiative designed to fundamentally weaken the rights of automobile and truck accident victims across California. The measure limits victims’ recovery of medical expenses and restricts the ability to hire an attorney of choice on a contingency-fee basis – all to protect Uber’s profits.

The campaign has moved from early infrastructure-building into visible, measurable momentum – in fundraising, paid media, qualification, and coalition expansion.

Building the winning campaign

infrastructure

Statewide initiative fights are not spontaneous. They require integrated teams across strategy, paid media, digital, communications, organizing, polling, and legal. In February, our side, the Alliance Against Corporate Abuse (AACA), formally announced its senior campaign team, assembling nationally recognized campaign professionals.

This level of infrastructure typically takes months to assemble. We built it in weeks.

The objective is clear: Qualify our counter-initiatives for the ballot, maintain pressure on Uber to withdraw their initiative, and be fully positioned to defeat their measure in November if necessary.

Exposing “Uber’s alarming sexualviolence problem”

In November, we launched the Every 8 Minutes public awareness campaign highlighting reporting that Uber receives a sexual assault or misconduct report nearly every eight minutes. Uber responded not with safety reforms, but with legal threats. Uber tried to delay the bellwether trial and sought to silence our ads. A federal judge rejected those attempts. 

During the Super Bowl, AACA placed targeted ads in San Diego, Fresno, and Sacramento to highlight Uber’s alarming sexual violence problem. In San Diego, the NFL intervened and pulled the ad from the NBC affiliate, benefiting its major partner, Uber.

Instead of silencing the message, that intervention generated significant earned media attention and drove additional traffic to the ad online. This occurred just days after a federal jury found Uber liable for a sexual assault committed by one of its drivers – the first of thousands of cases the company faces.

The contrast could not be clearer:

A jury holding Uber accountable in court.

Uber and its allies attempting to block public safety messaging.

Uber simultaneously spending millions to rewrite California law.

As a result of Uber’s tactics during the trial and continued reporting on the issue, we have seen a groundswell of opposition against Uber – a recent New York Post column had the headline “Car service apps promise safety, but that turns out to be one big lie.” The ad has not reached saturation. Engagement metrics show the message resonates strongly – particularly with women and high-propensity rideshare users.

Phase 2: Paid media expansion

The Super Bowl buy marked the launch of Phase 2 of paid communications.

We are now expanding across:

Streaming platforms and YouTube CTV

Digital advertising via Meta and Google

Digital audio placements

Targeted geofencing around high-volume Uber pickup zones

Direct targeting of political insiders and executive audiences

We are planning to launch updated creative emphasizing: “Here’s the ad Uber doesn’t want you to see.”

This is not broad persuasion yet. This phase is about:

Driving narrative dominance

Demonstrating strength

Reinforcing accountability themes

Surpassing the 25% signature threshold – ahead of schedule

Despite beginning signature gathering a month after Uber, our Sexual Assault Against Rideshare Passengers and Drivers Prevention and Accountability Act has already surpassed the 25% signature threshold.

This milestone:

Triggers formal notice and legislative hearings

Demonstrates early grassroots strength

Signals that voter appetite for accountability is strong

Petition circulation remains competitive and dynamic. Uber has the ability to increase per-signature pricing at any time. Several new, well-funded initiatives have also entered the marketplace.

We are monitoring daily and adjusting tactics accordingly.

Activating legal, medical, and survivor communities

We have received strong interest from attorneys, medical professionals, survivor advocacy groups, and women’s organizations across California who want to help qualify the initiatives and defeat Uber’s measure.

Signature gathering is technical, it requires:

Proper petition printing formats

Compliance training

Distribution logistics

Validation safeguards

Organizer coordination

We are scaling the infrastructure necessary to convert enthusiasm into legally valid signatures at volume. 

Beyond CAOC and the trial bar, coalition work is accelerating. Coalition-building requires targeted outreach, disciplined messaging, and sustained engagement. That work is underway.

Fundraising and the path forward

CAOC has announced raising more than $50 million into ballot measure committees to fight Uber’s deceptive initiative. That early show of strength matters. But campaigns are dynamic. Uber has signaled its willingness to spend heavily to protect its profits and shield itself from accountability.

Between now and June, our priorities are:

Qualify our initiatives.

Demonstrate visible, sustained momentum.

Continue narrative pressure.

Build the financial reserve necessary for Phase 3 – a full November fight, if required.

Uber’s strategy is clear: Force early spending, attempt to drain resources, and hope our March 31 report shows a weakened position. We are structuring expenditures deliberately to avoid that outcome – but sustained engagement from the legal community remains essential. Campaigns win or lose on two factors: Messaging and resources. We have proven our message resonates, that we can build infrastructure quickly, and that we have strong early-qualification momentum.

Now we scale.