Employment Policies Institute

Oakland, CA $30 Minimum Wage Heads to 2028 Ballot, Could Cost Additional 8,000 Jobs

October 26, 2026 11:49 amOctober 26, 2026 12:01 pm

Oakland voters will decide on a $30-per-hour-minimum wage after county election officials certified that the proposal received enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. It would nearly double the existing minimum wage in both Oakland and the unincorporated areas of...

California Shed Restaurant Jobs Under Gov. Newsom’s High Minimum Wage Policies

September 3, 2026 3:19 pmSeptember 3, 2026 3:20 pm

California Governor Gavin Newsom claims “California accounted for one in six new jobs in the nation,” through July 2026. The record-spending Governor brags that his sky-high minimum wage policies have allowed California to thrive, and the state has added jobs....

$25 Federal Minimum Wage to Cost 5 Million Jobs, New Report Finds

August 20, 2026 11:28 amAugust 20, 2026 12:02 pm

The majority of research over three decades finds minimum wage increases reduce employment. Just look at California’s $20 per hour fast food minimum wage. In addition to the latest news that Kentucky Fried Chicken has permanently closed 44 restaurants across...

Newsom’s ‘First in the Nation’ Fast Food Council Hasn’t Met in Two Years Despite Million-Dollar Budget

July 13, 2026 11:18 amJuly 14, 2026 10:00 am

California’s much-hyped “first in the nation” Fast Food Council has achieved something truly impressive: it has managed to do next to nothing for nearly two full years while still cashing taxpayer checks. The council, tasked with “giving workers a voice”...

Gov. Newsom Touts Misleading UC Berkeley Study on California’s $20 Fast Food Wage

April 8, 2026 3:10 pmApril 8, 2026 3:20 pm

California has such an absurdly high cost of living that some misguided lawmakers think increasing the minimum wage will offset nearly $1 million median home prices, $7.00-per-gallon gas prices, and $500 – $1,000 monthly electricity bills. The minimum wage was...

California’s Fast Food Minimum Wage Continues to Bite Workers, Consumers and Owners

March 20, 2026 4:40 amMarch 20, 2026 4:41 am

California is reaching a grim two-year anniversary of the ill-advised $20 fast food minimum wage. AB 1228, California’s $20 wage law for fast food workers, cost non-tipped restaurant workers 250 hours of work annually, equating to up to 7 weeks...

Gavin Newsom’s Sunday Circuit on Affordability is Dishonest

February 23, 2026 12:26 pmFebruary 23, 2026 12:26 pm

California Governor Gavin Newsom was cornered by Dana Bash on CNN Sunday about California’s affordability crisis. She said she was out to dinner in Nashville and met a California couple who had moved to Tennessee because they could not afford...