A ballot initiative that would have raised the minimum wage to the highest level in the nation was rejected by California voters.
According to the Associated Press and the unofficial count, Proposition 32 was defeated by a narrow margin, with 49.2% in favor and 50.8% against. All precincts reported the results. By 2026, the minimum wage would have increased to the highest level in the nation, $18 per hour.
That message seems to have struck a chord with voters, who are primarily concerned with the economy and expenses this year, Jennifer Barrera, president of the California Chamber of Commerce and the measure’s opponent, told the AP.
The minimum wage in California is currently $16 per hour, whereas fast-food employees are paid $20 per hour. The first state to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour was California in 2016.
According to the AP, more than 40 counties and communities in the state already have an hourly minimum wage of $18 despite the statewide rejection.
In the official state-run voter guide for the proposal, Joe Sanberg, the greatest proponent of the proposition, stated that Proposition 32 will boost the economy, improve the lot of low-wage workers, and combat corporate abuse.
Kathy Finn, president of United Food and Commercial Workers 770, a union in Southern California, told the AP that the rejection of Proposition 32 is disheartening for those Californians who think that everyone who works should be able to provide for their family.
According to the voter guide, opponents of the initiative, including Presidents Ron Fong of the California Grocers Association and Jot Condie of the California Restaurant Association, contended that the increase would increase expenses for companies while raising prices for consumers.
UCLA professor of economics Till von Wachter told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that debates over the minimum wage are always very emotional. A higher minimum wage may be rejected because economic concerns are currently at the forefront of people’s minds.
According to the Department of Labor, the District of Columbia now has the highest minimum wage in the country, at $17 per hour.According to the AP, Hawaii passed a law raising the minimum wage to $18 per hour in 2022, but it won’t go into effect until 2028.
A request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation was not immediately answered by the office of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom.
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