California's lawmakers have approved and sent to Gov. Brown a minimum-wage increase, putting the pay at $15 per hour by 2022.
AP's Alison Noon and Jonathon J. Cooper report: "California lawmakers on Thursday approved the nation's highest statewide minimum wage of $15 an hour to take effect by 2022 after it was hailed by Democrats as an example to the nation as it struggles with a growing gap between rich and poor."
"The legislation now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who says he will sign it into law Monday after previously working out the plan with labor unions."
"Meanwhile, in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached a tentative deal with top legislators late Thursday to also raise his state's minimum wage to $15 an hour. If the tentative pact holds together, New York would become the second state to pay its workers that much."
So what does raising the minimum wage means for the economy? The verdict is still out on whether it's good or bad.
From the Bee's Jeremy B. White: "A deal to raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour has drawn opposition from Republicans and business groups, who argue it will force employers to cut workers in an effort to save on labor costs. They warned of economic fallout during a Wednesday hearing and Thursday’s floor debate."
"A statement: “Almost invariably, the effect (of raising the minimum wage) is a rise in unemployment,” Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, R-Big Bear Lake, said during the Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing."
"Analysis: There is no clear evidence that raising the wage “almost invariably” drives up unemployment. The record is mixed."
And now, a brief breakdown of how each lawmaker voted on the minimum wage bill, courtesy of the LAT's Allison Wisk.
Meanwhile, the question arises -- as it has for the past decade and more -- whether Dianne Feinstein will seek reelection to her U.S. Senate seat in California. The answer is still up in the air.
LAT's Cathleen Decker writes: "Don’t ask Dianne Feinstein just yet whether she plans to run for a fifth full term in the U.S. Senate, a seat that will be on the ballot in 2018."
“I’ve got two years and nine months — ask me that in about a year,” Feinstein said with a grin Thursday during a meeting with Los Angeles Times editors and reporters. “I’ll give you the answer then.”
"Feinstein’s plans have been a hot topic among California politicians for years; she and Sen. Barbara Boxer ran and won seats in 1992, and Boxer will retire after her replacement is elected in November."
San Francisco's police department continues to be riddled with scandal as an alleged sexual assault case reveals rampant racism among certain groups of officers.
Chronicle's Vivian Ho reports: "A new group of San Francisco police officers was implicated in exchanging bigoted text messages, fueling increased scrutiny of the city force and prompting a review of court cases handled by those officers for potential bias, authorities said Thursday."
"District Attorney George Gascón said a “substantial number of racist and homophobic text messages” emerged during a recent criminal investigation, which Police Chief Greg Suhr identified as the sexual assault probe of a Taraval Station officer, Jason Lai, that began last year."
"The messages, which allegedly included use of the racial slur “n—” and derogatory comments toward the LGBT community, were exchanged among at least four officers, Suhr said, including Lai and Lt. Curtis Liu, who also worked at Taraval but retired after being accused of obstructing the rape inquiry."
Finally, from our "Accidental Tourist" file, comes word that an official promo for Rhode Island features video showing Iceland.
"Locals pointed out the blunder Tuesday, one day after state officials approved the near two-minute video as part of a $5 million tourism campaign, the Providence Journal reported."
"In the clip, which addresses the Ocean State’s “uniqueness,” a skateboarder performs a kickflip before the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavik, the capital of the Northern European country."
"The state’s Rhode Island Commerce Corporation reportedly argued initially there wasn’t any chance that the footage was foreign. A spokesperson then admitted the mistake and pointed the blame elsewhere."
Pass the buck and get a receipt ...
