I can’t stay quiet anymore.
I didn’t want to do this, but I have nothing left to lose.
Over the last **month**, I’ve been **ripped off for thousands of dollars** while helping CAOC with their two initiatives.
I gave everything I had to this.
And now I’m the one left with nothing.
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* The **Right to Contract with an Attorney**
* The **Rideshare Sexual Assault Accountability Act**
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Before I stepped into this with CAOC…
I was already averaging **$3,000 to $5,000 per day** working across multiple statewide initiatives.
On top of already being one of the top producers out here…
This has been my career for nearly **20 years as a professional petition circulator**.
I had momentum.
I had systems.
And I was on track to leave California by **May or early June with $300,000 to $500,000 saved.**
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Then I made a decision — **after being personally brought into this by an attorney who was working directly with CAOC on these initiatives.**
Out of respect, I’m not going to use his name.
But he was the one who connected with CAOC, helped coordinate everything on the front end, and asked me to step in and start doing this work. Then the CAOC asked me as well.
I didn’t just choose this on my own.
I stepped in because I was asked to be part of it — and because there was already communication and coordination in place for me to get started.
And once I did, I chose to focus almost entirely on these two initiatives — because I believed in what they stood for, and because of the support I saw from attorneys.
But it was more than that for me.
Years ago, **Uber put my dad out of business down in Dallas, Texas**. He had built one of the biggest airport shuttle and limo businesses in the area.
So when I stepped into this fight…
My heart was in it too.
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I didn’t just collect signatures…
I **blew this up.**
I brought these initiatives directly into law firms, doctors’ offices, chiropractors, and professional networks across California — connecting **hundreds of attorneys, doctors, and marketers and staff members**.
I organized appointments, opened doors, and created real momentum.
My daily production became:
* **100–200 signatures per day on EACH initiative**
* Some days more
* Some appointments bringing in **200–300 people signing both petitions at once**
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I wasn’t just a circulator…
I became **the speaker at events at law firms and professional offices**, educating rooms full of professionals.
I had a **film crew in my face inside law firms**, being told I was the *“star”* of what they were documenting.
I put my reputation, my relationships, and my entire career into this.
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But over the last **month**… everything changed.
I turned in **thousands of signatures**…
And I was **not paid properly for a large portion of them.**
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This system works through layers:
**CAOC (campaign funding side)**
→ pays the **client / petition management company**
→ which pays the **coordinators**
→ who then pay **me as the circulator**
And somewhere in that chain…
**I was the one who lost out.**
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To be clear, I am an **independent contractor** in this industry.
I don’t receive a salary.
I don’t receive hourly pay.
I don’t receive any base pay at all.
I pay for **everything myself**:
* Hotels
* Gas
* Food
* Travel
* Daily living expenses
And I only get paid **per valid voter signature**.
That’s it.
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Because of this…
I’ve been going broke
And I’m running out of patience
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Before I fully stepped into this with CAOC, I **warned multiple people** — including people connected to the campaign — that putting all of my focus into this could put my career at risk.
I knew what I was walking away from.
And I made that decision anyway because I believed in what this was about.
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But what I don’t understand is this:
There have been **millions of dollars invested** into this campaign by attorneys, doctors, and marketers through the CAOC campaign funding committee.
And yet…
I cannot get paid for the work I’ve already done
No one is stepping in to make sure I’m treated fairly
I’m not being allowed to work direct
And no solution has been offered
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It also makes no sense to me how this is even possible.
If the structure is:
CAOC pays the client
→ the client pays the coordinators
→ the coordinators pay me
Then how am I the one not getting paid?
Especially when these were **real signatures I collected from attorneys, doctors, marketers, and their staff members specifically for CAOC’s two initiatives.**
Make it make sense.
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I don’t know if this is because of contractual issues, legal concerns, or something else behind the scenes…
But from where I stand, none of that changes the fact that I did the work and should be paid for it.
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I truly cannot understand how, after everything I’ve done…
CAOC does not have my back in this situation
No one is stepping in to make this right
And I’m being left in this position
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I didn’t expect anything extra.
But I also didn’t expect to be:
* Left hanging
* Pushed aside
* And quietly pushed out after everything I’ve done
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After everything I built, everything I produced, and everything I sacrificed…
I honestly feel **unappreciated, used, and misled**.
Like I gave everything to help push this forward…
And instead of being supported or even acknowledged…
I’ve been left behind.
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I was working under a coordinator who:
* Became upset when I stopped working other statewide initiatives
* Lost out on override/bonus money tied to my production
* And as a result…
I was **threatened that my career in California could be affected**
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At the same time, I was told there were supposed to be coordinated efforts between the campaign and the client…
But when I personally spoke with the client directly, I was told — **more than once** — that they had not been in communication on certain matters.
Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know.
But I was the one caught in the middle.
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I was also told directly by the client side that:
* I would **not be allowed to work with them directly**
* I would **not be allowed to become a coordinator**
* And that they **did not care** about the money that their coordinator owed me.
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After everything I built…
That’s where I was left.
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And then things got even worse.
I’ve been told by multiple sources that I may now be **effectively blacklisted** in this industry.
That my name has been circulated in a negative way.
And that working through coordinators going forward could result in:
* My work being accepted and **not being paid properly**
* Or my work **not being accepted at all**
I’ve now personally experienced this more than once.
I have already been **ripped off by two different coordinators**, after turning in real work.
And I have **documented proof on paper of validity reports that appear to be manipulated or not legitimate, tied directly to my submissions.**
And I’ve been told by sources in the industry that coordinators have essentially been given the green light to:
* Take my work
* Pay me whatever they want — or not at all
* And that there would be no consequences for it
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Another reason I believe this happened is because of a decision I made.
After a conversation with **someone directly involved**, I learned the truth about **Uber’s deceptive initiative**.
It made me sick to my stomach.
So I made a choice.
I ripped the papers up and threw them away
I stopped collecting signatures on it immediately
And I didn’t stop there.
I reached out to my network — professional petition circulators all over California — and told them what I had learned and how I felt about it.
I told them the truth from my perspective.
And I encouraged them to stop pushing it as well.
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After that…
Word got around.
And I became the **bad guy in the petition industry** for speaking up.
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At the same time…
Attorneys, doctors, and marketers — people I personally connected and brought into this — suddenly:
* Stopped communicating
* Stopped responding
* And in some cases, even **deleted WhatsApp messages and calls**
Like they were afraid to be associated with me.
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And I still don’t understand why.
I’m the one who:
* Built those connections
* Brought everyone together
* Helped push this movement forward
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I’ve reached out over and over trying to fix this the right way.
I’ve contacted the **campaign side / funding committee**.
I even reached out to the **Alliance Against Corporate Abuse**, trying to get guidance and help on what to do in this situation.
I’ve done everything I can to handle this the right way.
**Samantha has been the only person at CAOC who has truly tried to help me, and I genuinely appreciate her efforts.**
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I’ve also had attorneys, doctors, and marketers:
* Make calls for me
* Offer support
* Even talk about coming together to help me directly
And I’m grateful for every one of you.
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I even made proposals to continue working…
I wasn’t asking for anything extra — I just wanted to be **paid fairly for the work I was already doing.**
I offered to work **directly with the campaign for LESS money** than what is currently being paid through coordinators…
Just so I could keep producing, keep bringing in signatures, and keep helping this fight.
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I also proposed something much bigger.
I offered to bring in **my own team of professional petition circulators** and deploy them all across California — going into law firms, doctors’ offices, and professional networks to collect signatures at scale.
I even proposed structuring it in a way where:
**Attorneys and doctors would be paid per signature**
Giving them a chance to earn money back from what they’ve already invested into this campaign
While we massively increased signature volume across the state
It was a win across the board.
The firms would have loved it.
The numbers would have exploded.
And I truly believe we could have delivered **all required signatures — and more — within 30 to 60 days.**
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Instead…
That idea was not accepted.
From what I understand, a different direction was taken — leaning toward trying to have firms and offices participate on a **volunteer basis** to reduce costs.
And I understand that approach.
I really do.
But even then…
Why not keep me involved?
Why not let me continue producing?
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Instead, I was turned down again.
Another proposal rejected.
Another door closed.
In my last proposal I even offered to try to get my uncle's band 311 on board to do a concert and raise a lot of money. They were out here in California, doing concerts around the same time as well. If anyone knows the band 311 then they know how worldwide famous they are and how much of a following they have so it would have brought in a lot more funding. I couldn't believe even throwing that out there wasn't good enough.
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After everything I built, everything I proved, and everything I was still willing to do…
I was left on the outside.
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Now I’m the one left dealing with it.
My income is gone.
And after nearly **20 years of building relationships and doing business in this industry**, my career here in California is **basically destroyed.**
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I walked away from a path where I was on track to make **hundreds of thousands of dollars**…
To help build something I believed in.
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Right now, I’m at a breaking point.
I refuse to continue to work for free or for next to nothing
I’m going broke
My career here is basically destroyed
I’ve made my decision.
I’m **washing my hands of this.**
And to everyone who has asked me to stay in this and keep fighting — I’m sorry.
I know a lot of you wanted me to keep going… to not give up.
But I don’t feel like I have a choice anymore.
At some point you have to ask yourself…
Would you continue working if you were in my position?
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I’m going to turn in the rest of my signatures — knowing there’s a strong chance I’ll be **ripped off again**, especially since I’m not allowed to turn them in directly to the campaign department — not even through the volunteer side — and the truth is, even the volunteer side of the campaign will not get back in touch with me.
Which in reality would save them money by cutting out the middle layers.
Make it make sense.
I can’t win here.
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And after that…
I’m done
I’m leaving here over the next day or two because I have a lot of paperwork to take care of
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I know I’m supposed to keep this professional, factual, and emotionless…
But I have to be real.
This hurts.
My heart honestly aches.
Because I truly felt like I was part of something bigger… like I was part of a team… even a family.
I felt like I mattered.
Like I was someone important in all of this.
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And now…
I feel completely pushed aside.
Like I went from being someone who helped build this…
to feeling like I don’t matter at all.
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That’s the hardest part of all of this.
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I never thought after everything I’ve done… it would end like this.
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I’m not asking for a million dollars.
And I’m not asking for much considering the reality of what this has cost me.
What’s happened here has impacted my ability to earn in this industry in California — something I’ve built over nearly 20 years — and that kind of damage adds up over time in a very real way.
When you look at the bigger picture, that loss could easily reach into the hundreds of thousands — if not more — over time.
So asking for **$77,000 to recover, stabilize, and move forward** is not unreasonable.
I’m asking for real support from the people I showed up for every single day.
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If you’ve met me…
If I came to your office…
If you saw the work I put in…
Then you already know I gave this everything I had.
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If you can help — whether it’s $10, $100, or more — it truly means everything right now.
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And if this fight succeeds **this November**…
I would love nothing more than to come back and celebrate that victory with all of you.
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**— Dustin Sexton**
Organizer
