By Kate Morrissey
San Diego Union Tribune, April 2, 2016
The minimum wage law to be signed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown is historic in its reach, as the government sets about securing raises for a huge swath of Californians in a giant progressive experiment in trickle-up economics. Hundreds of thousands of people in San Diego County stand to have their wages increase under the law, which boosts the state minimum wage to $15 from its current $10 over the next six years. ...
Proponents say low-income workers will have more buying power, while businesses enjoy lower turnover and higher productivity. ...
David Bronner of Dr. Bronner’s, which sells soaps, lotions and coconut oils, said that he’s not concerned about the effect on his business because he already pays his employees higher than the minimum wage.
“The way the California legislature paves this in over a period of six years really mitigates the impact,” Bronner said.
He added that his business has seen lower training costs from lower turnover because it pays higher wages.
“Everyone’s going to have the same costs of labor. It’s not like I’m going to go eat somewhere else or shop somewhere else,” Bronner said. “That’s what nice about the minimum wage is, it affects everyone equally.”
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, also emphasized the gradual implementation of the bill along with the ability for the state to pause the increases if the economy hits another recession.
“It’s just ensuring that the minimum wage continues to increase over the next several years, and then at a cost-of-living adjustment beyond that,” Gonzalez said. “With this constant need to revisit it, it becomes this political fight. This will just normalize it for minimum wage workers.”
Copyright 2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune