Stoking of Pre-Uber ‘Dark Ages’ Drives California Ballot Message

Remember what it was like to wait for a taxi? Enter yet another cab with a broken credit card machine? Pick up your own restaurant takeout?

It was barely a decade ago, but memories of a world before Uber seem distant for most Americans. Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. revolutionized local road travel, giving riders a cheap, fast, and comfortable alternative to taxicabs by tapping a smart phone app, while DoorDash Inc., Instacart Inc., and Postmates Inc. popularized deliveries of takeout meals and groceries to your door.

The threat of going without those conveniences is being sold to California ...