I was a 1099 contractor for several years and couldn't agree more. It drove me nuts when I'd read articles like this, since I had made a conscious choice not to be an employee, for all of the pros and cons that implies.
I work as a 1099 contractor under my own LLC consulting business. This is valid under CA law. The law is meant to protect people who are unfairly classified as contractors outside of a trade.
While that may be, we all know that laws aren't interpreted based on their intended meaning. They are interpreted as one or more judges sees fit.