California voters rejected a measure to raise the state's minimum wage to $18 an hour. This is the first time in nearly 30 years that such an effort has failed nationwide.
In the end, 49.2% of Californians supported the wage increase, which fell just short, so the tally was taken two weeks after Election Day.
Voting results were geographically uneven, with all Bay Area and coastal counties supporting the measure except San Luis Obispo, Orange, Ventura, and Del Norte, and all inland counties except Alpine and Imperial supporting the measure. opposed.
California's current minimum wage is $16 an hour, but excludes $20 an hour for fast food restaurants with 60 or more locations. The latter was enacted in 2023 with the approval of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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“Californians are sending a clear message to Gavin Newsom and the SEIU: They are lab rats for their pet project,” Rebecca Paxton, director of research at the Employment Policy Institute, said in a statement. I'm tired of it,” he said.
“Voters saw the devastating economic impact of a $20 fast food minimum wage law and voted against a statewide minimum wage increase for the first time in state history.”
But Newsom has previously defended his support for higher wages, saying the pay increases at fast-food restaurants give workers “a greater say in workplace standards.”
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“Predictably, this modest legislation caused a swoon among conservatives in the media and their advocates,” he wrote in a Fox News opinion column earlier this fall.
“Even before I signed this bill, they immediately said this bill would lead to catastrophic layoffs and large numbers of businesses would close.”
“We believe in fairness, equity, and the idea that everyone is entitled to a chance to succeed, and that these outcomes will either protect workers or grow the economy. dispelling the cynicism of having to choose.”
Jennifer Barrera, CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, told The Associated Press after the agency's Prop. 32 tally that the economy and personal costs were the top priorities in the election, and that message He said it resonated with voters.
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Millions of dollars have poured into support for the effort, with startup entrepreneur Joe Samberg reportedly spearheading the Proposition 32 effort and allocating $10 million, according to CalMatters. The paper reported that Democratic Los Angeles City Councilman and former state Senate President Kevin de Leon is the second most prominent supporter.
Since 1996, there have been about 20 ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage. The last time I failed.
In this election, Missouri did not approve an increase to $6.75 an hour, and Montana voted against increasing the minimum wage to $6.25 an hour.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
