Hell Freezes Over: California Conservative Launches Initiative to Raise Minimum Wage to $12

[Addison]

By Doug Porter, San Diego Free Press

Earlier this year California Gov. Jerry Brown signed off on legislation to increase the minimum wage. The measure would raise the current $8 minimum wage to $9 an hour next July 1 and to $10 on Jan. 1, 2016. The 25% increase will be the first minimum-wage hike in California in five years, affecting an estimated 2.4 million Californians.

Golden State business interests and their conservative allies railed against the measure. The LA Times quoted the president of the California Restaurant Association, saying the 87,000 eateries in the state would be forced to cut back employee hours and reduce hiring. The California Chamber of Commerce labeled AB10 “a job killer.”

The conservative CalWatchdog.com predicted that 68,000 jobs would be lost over the coming decade and a “reduction in real output of $5.7 billion”, citing the Koch brothers sponsored National Federation of Independent Business.

Today’s New York Times reports that California conservative activist and millionaire Ron Unz is filing ballot language with the secretary of state , declaring his intention to gather enough signatures to place it on the ballot in 2014.

Ron Unz, a Silicon Valley millionaire, rose to fame by promoting a ballot initiative that essentially eliminated bilingual education in California. He went on to become publisher of The American Conservative, a libertarian-leaning magazine.

But after decades in the conservative movement, Mr. Unz is pursuing a goal that has stymied liberals: raising the minimum wage. He plans to pour his own money into a ballot measure to increase the minimum wage in California to $10 an hour in 2015 and $12 in 2016, which would make it by far the highest in the nation. Currently, it is $8 — 75 cents higher than the federal minimum.

Using what he sees as conservative principles to advocate a policy long championed by the left, Mr. Unz argues that significantly raising the minimum wage would help curb government spending on social services, strengthen the economy and make more jobs attractive to American-born workers.

Public support for an increase in the minimum wage is very strong, with 76% or respondents in a poll earlier this month supporting an increase in the federal rate from $7.25 to $9.00 per hour. Various proposals in Congress aimed at increasing the minimum wage are, like most other significant legislation, mired in gridlock.

. . .

http://sandiegofreepress.org/2013/11/hell-freezes-over-california-conservative-launches-initiative-to-raise-minimum-wage-to-12/

[KamaAina]

1. "The devil here could well be in the details,"

as the Times article does not elaborate on the details of Mr. Unz’s plan. Knowing the frequency of right wing efforts to twist and obfuscate issues (the peace talks in Iran being an administration ploy to divert attention from Obamacare, for example) I’ll advise a wait and see on this one. But I’ll enjoy seeing GOP party leaders’ heads explode at the mere thought of a conservative backed minimum wage increase.

It would hardly be the first time that a ballot initiative packed with poison pills was introduced solely to derail legitimate initiatives aiming at the same (stated) goal.

Oh, and Ron Unz? I thought he crawled back under his rock years ago!

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. For years, Republicans have accused Democrats of bribing the poor with government handouts.

Last edited Wed Nov 27, 2013, 12:23 AM - Edit history (1)

Perhaps that is what he hopes to do.

If it gets on the ballot, I would vote for such a raise.

[Faryn Balyncd]

3. Actually, The American Conservative is considered paleoconsevative rather than "libertarian leaning"

....as the article described them.

They do have some alliance with antiwar, anti-imperial libertarians, as both paleos and some libertarians oppose neo-conservative foreign policy.

Scott McConnell, as a founder and editor of The American Conservative, wrote an editorial endorsing John Kerry in 2004, and supported Obama in 2008, (though The American Conservative did not make an endorsement).

Politics is sometimes complicated.

[Laelth]

4. Good idea. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Journeyman]

5. The Restaurant Association confuses me. . .

They say a raise in the minimum wage would force them "to cut back employee hours and reduce hiring."

But how -- and more importantly, why -- would they do that?

If the restaurant is currently open 40 hours a week, they need restaurant staff for 40 hours of labor. If the most they are going to pay is minimum wage, what does is matter if Susan works all 40 hours or if John is brought in to work 20 of those hours. The wage will be the same, as there's no overtime involved.

Oh, benefits and the like may be impacted if someone works the full 40 hours, but the pay won't make any difference.

And if they cut back the hours while they reduce hiring, who's going to work the empty hours? I'd say the President of the Restaurant Association, but he seems too stupid to breathe without coaching so I can't see him filling in for those times when someone's not on the floor.

And aren't wait staff exempt from minimum wage as it is, since they make tips? Or is that bullshit no longer in force?

If they just don't want to pay a decent wage, then fess up to it and admit they don't care for people. But stop telling me this is going to adversely impact the worker when, in fact, it's simply mindless greed and bad business sense driving their knee-jerk reaction.

[Lordquinton]

6. In California waiters get minimum wage

it's mostly the former slave states than let them be, well you know...