Rep. Barbara Lee calls for a $50 minimum wage—do Californians agree?

During last week’s debate for the California seat for the U.S. Senate, Democratic candidate Barbara Lee, a congresswoman representing Oakland, championed a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $50 per hour as part of her campaign. This hourly wage would amount to a minimum full-time yearly salary of $104,000.

A recent poll found Lee in last place in the race for the Senate seat at 10% of the vote, sitting behind Democrats Adam Schiff (24%) and Katie Porter (19%), as well as Republican Steve Garvey, a former baseball player for the L.A. Dodgers turned businessman, polling at 18%.

The minimum wage in California is currently $16 per hour but is set to rise to $20 per hour on April 1 for all restaurants with at least 60 locations nationwide. As minimum wage continues to rise in California, fast food chains have been forced to raise their prices, with McDonalds recently facing criticism for charging $18 for a Big Mac combo.

Many are predicting that this coming wage increase is likely to raise food costs for consumers and could possibly drive fast food and restaurant chains out of the state.

“This would completely decimate every single business in the state of California,” said celebrity chef and restaurant owner Andrew Gruel in an interview with Fox Business.

I took to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles to find out whether or not California residents support Rep. Barbara Lee’s call for a $50 minimum wage.

If you appreciate this boots-on-the-ground coverage in Southern California and want to see more, please head over to RebelFieldReports.com to support our independent journalism.

Sarah Stock

Formerly Ontario-based, Canadian-American Sarah Stock joined Rebel News in 2022 where she worked behind the scenes before reporting on the streets of Toronto in 2024. Now, Sarah is located in Southern California where she reports for Rebel part-time and studies political science.

https://twitter.com/sarahcstock

COMMENTS

Be the first to comment

Please check your e-mail for a link to activate your account.