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Los Angeles resident Danielle Tudhal speaks on the West Steps of the California Capitol in Sacramento on April 23, 2026. Tudhal was speaking in support of a ballot measure that would increase ride-hailing apps\u2019 liability in cases of sexual assault or misconduct during rides.<\/p>\n
Kate Wolffe<\/p>\n
kwolffe@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
This fall, California voters will likely be asked whether rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft can be held legally liable for sexual misconduct that occurs during rides \u2014 and be required to conduct more stringent background checks.<\/p>\n
The newly-formed anti-Uber group Alliance Against Corporate Abuse announced Thursday it had gathered more than 1.1 million signatures to get its ballot measure in front of voters this November. The Secretary of State will verify the signatures and make the final determination of what appears on the ballot this summer.<\/p>\n
If approved by voters, rideshare companies would have more legal liability in California, including for any sexual assault or misconduct against riders or drivers. The measure seeks to require annual fingerprinting and background checks for drivers, warn passengers of known safety risks tied to a matched driver and require companies to issue monthly reports of sexual misconduct incidents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was extremely popular, this flew off the shelf in terms of getting the signatures that it needed,\u201d said Alex Stack, a spokesperson for the group. \u201cNow we\u2019re talking to other states that would actually want to make sure they have these protections as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The initiative comes as Uber faces thousands of sexual assault lawsuits in federal court. It also follows a 2025 investigation<\/a> by The New York Times that showed the company receives a complaint about sexual assault or sexual misconduct every eight minutes.<\/p>\n It\u2019s one of several battles Uber is fighting against the Consumer Attorneys of California, the main funder of the Alliance Against Corporate Abuse. In fact, Uber\u2019s campaign group, A More Affordable California, has characterized the effort as a \u201ccynical ploy\u201d to defeat a rival ballot measure<\/a> that would cap attorneys\u2019 fees after accidents.<\/p>\n \u201cConsumer Attorneys of California didn\u2019t spend millions to put this on the ballot to protect survivors \u2014 their goal is protecting billboard lawyer profits,\u201d said a spokesperson in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n At a news conference Thursday, Danielle Tudhal, a Los Angeles-based influencer, spoke in support of the measure, which the group is calling the \u201cSexual Assault Against Rideshare Passengers and Drivers Prevention and Accountability Act.\u201d<\/p>\n Tudhal described a 2021 incident where a driver acted erratically and demanded cash from her as well as a 2025 incident where a driver sexually harassed her and chased her when she exited the car.<\/p>\n Tudhal, who also throws raves for a living, said she no longer uses ride-hailing apps and the experiences contributed to her decision to become sober.<\/p>\n She said when she was at a Miami police department filing a police report for the 2021 incident, \u201cthey let me know that there was an entire division that was only focused on Uber-related crimes and injuries. And that my experience was extremely common, just another day in the office. This was extremely alarming to me, and still is.\u201d<\/p>\n In a video posted to her TikTok Wednesday, Tudhal shared her story<\/a> in an ad paid for by the Alliance Against Corporate Abuse.<\/p>\n The group assembled behind her was mostly made up of employees from the Sacramento-based personal injury law firm Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood & Campora, according to an employee who identified herself after the conference was over.<\/p>\n According to campaign finance filings from February<\/a>, the Consumer Attorneys of California gave $25 million to the Alliance Against Corporate Abuse in December 2025. The group had close to $47 million in its war chest at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n In its summary<\/a>, the Secretary of State\u2019s office said the measure could cost multiple state agencies tens of millions of dollars each to process the background checks, regulate the companies and move more civil cases through the courts.<\/p>\n Uber\u2019s group, A More Affordable California, announced in a press release last week it would begin submitting signatures for its ballot measure, which it calls the \u201cPreventing Accident Victims from Self-Dealing Attorneys Act.\u201d A spokesperson for the campaign said Thursday it had gathered more than 1 million signatures.<\/p>\n According to campaign finance documents filed in February<\/a>, the company has funnelled over $12 million into the group.<\/p>\n
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