Brand-new quarterly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), analyzed by the Employment Policies Institute (EPI), has laid bare a grim reality for California’s fast food industry: the state has shed up to 16,000 jobs since Governor Gavin Newsom signed the $20 fast food minimum wage law, AB 1228, in September 2023.
Nearly 14,000 of those losses hit after the law took effect on April 1, 2024, spotlighting a steep toll on workers and businesses in just six months.
The BLS data, drawn from mandatory reporting by all fast food establishments, charts a relentless decline. After Newsom inked the bill, employers braced for a 25% labor cost spike—jumping from the statewide $16 minimum—by slashing staff, cutting hours, and hiking menu prices…