Another Round of Madness: California’s Continuing Battle with Fast Food Legislation

California’s fast-food minimum wage insanity is back for a second helping.

After a law pushed through by Gov. Gavin Newsom added a massive increase in fast-food minimum wages to $20 dollars an hour in April (except for employees of Panera, clearly because a good buddy of the gov’s owns a bunch of franchises), things went pretty much as expected.

Prices shot through the roof: Burger King patrons saw a 53% increase on some items, plus a 12% jump on signature item double Whopper meal deals.

Rubio’s California Grill closed 38 of 134 locations in May and filed for bankruptcy in June.

In other words, the completely foreseeable effects of creating a government-dictated wage floor.

Either management passes the cost on to customers, or else simply gives up.

Now?

The California Fast Food Workers Union wants another increase, to $20.70.

Look: Unions are free to demand whatever they want from management and from the state pols often beholden to their campaign bucks.

But that doesn’t mean it’s good policy.

Indeed, the carveout — which bizarrely exempts businesses that bake and serve their own bread as a standalone item, and is clearly tailor made for Panera — proves the hike and the economic thinking behind it have always been bunk.

If it made any sense, Newsom’s powerful friends wouldn’t need special treatment.

No: This is about feeding the left hysteria around “equity,” not actually making things better for Californians.

Higher wages mean a higher bar of entry for kids looking for summer jobs and low-education adults looking for stable work.

And higher prices for consumers already rocked by inflation.

Sure seems like progressives don’t really care much about the little guy they allegedly stand up for.