Proposition 32: Voters reject measure that would have raised California’s minimum wage to nation-high $18 per hour

SACRAMENTO California voters rejected a ballot proposition that would have made the state minimum wage the highest in the nation by 2026, at $18 per hour.

The California Chamber of Commerce was among the opponents who claimed it would have raised taxes, driven companies to reduce employment, and raised costs.

That message seems to have struck a chord, as many voters are focused on the economy and expenses this year, according to Jennifer Barrera, president and CEO of the chamber.

Proponents calculated that 2 million workers, including those employed by hotels and supermarkets, would have benefited from the plan.

According to Kathy Finn, president of UFCW 770, a Southern California union that represents almost 30,000 workers in a variety of industries, the failure of Proposition 32 to pass is disheartening for all Californians who think that everyone who works should be able to support their family.

The current minimum wage is $20 in the fast-food industry and $16 for the majority of workers. In October of last year, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a measure that will gradually raise the minimum wage in the health care sector to $25 per hour.

A measure to progressively raise the state minimum wage to $18 per hour was enacted in Hawaii in 2022, but it won’t go into effect until 2028.

The first state to enact a $15 hourly minimum wage was California in 2016, when then-Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed the legislation. Approximately 40 counties and localities currently have minimum salaries that are greater than the state minimum, and as of this year, six of them had minimums of more than $18 per hour.