Opponents of California's failed minimum wage increase say voters made the right decision to reject the proposal, which otherwise would have led to higher inflation.
Proposition 32, which would have raised California's minimum wage to $18 an hour, narrowly failed as only 49.2% of voters supported the increase. The current state minimum wage is $16 an hour.
Fast food restaurants with 60 or more locations are already required to pay their employees at least $20 an hour.
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Voters cast their ballots during the Super Tuesday primary election at the American Legion Post polling place in Hawthorne, California, on March 5, 2024. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
“Basic economics tells us that raising the minimum wage will ultimately drive up inflation and unemployment, predictably hurting workers and families,” said Republican state Sen. Brian Jones, the Senate minority leader. I will give you that.” “More inflation and rising costs are the last thing we need right now. Californians made the right decision to protect fiscal stability by rejecting Proposition 32.”
Business groups including the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Restaurant Association and the California Grocers Association opposed the measure, saying high labor costs would hurt small businesses.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Jennifer Barrera told The Associated Press that the economy and personal costs were the top priorities in the election, a message that resonated with voters.
Exterior of McDonald's store. (St. Petersburg)
John Kabatek, California state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said raising the minimum wage during a period of inflation would exacerbate the current economic hardships many residents already face.
“At the end of the day, this was an affordability issue for Californians who are already struggling,” Kabatek told Fox News Digital. “People realized that raising the minimum wage doesn't make things much better.”
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Joe Samberg speaks at a press conference for the first shipment of 3,000 face shields from LA at LA County + USC Medical Center on April 14, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Presley Ann/Getty Images for Emergency Supplies Donor Group)
Prop 32 was written by Joseph Samberg, an anti-poverty advocate and startup entrepreneur who is a major investor in Blue Apron, an ingredient and recipe meal kit company.
“Now is the time, because the pandemic has increased people's understanding of the realities facing many Californians,” Samberg said during formal voting discussions. “The cost of living is rising faster and faster…but wages are not increasing commensurately.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Samberg and various industry groups.
Samberg was heavily involved in spearheading Prop 32.
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Jones called the measure a failed “publicity stunt” devised by Samberg and part of “his pattern of misleading Californians.”
“Mr. Samberg, known for posing as an environmental activist while under intense scrutiny for dubious claims, has shifted tactics by pushing for a minimum wage increase and falsely promoting himself as a champion of the working class. '' he said. “California saw through his deception and rightly rejected his Proposition 32, which would destroy our economy.”
Kabatek said Sacremento's policymakers appear to be out of touch with small business owners and struggling voters.
“After all, who wouldn't want to put a few dollars in their pocket? But at what cost?” he said.
