Californians appear to be rejecting a ballot measure that would raise the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour. The measure saw a lot of opposition from San Luis Obispo County voters.
The current minimum wage in California is $16 an hour, set to rise to $16.50 in January. Prop 32 would immediately hike it to $17, going up to $18 in January.
Statewide results show the measure trailing, with 51% voting no, and 49% yes. But in San Luis Obispo, about 60% of voters turned a thumbs down.
Myclin, who declined to give her last name, has lived in San Luis Obispo for more than 70 years. She said a higher wage would hurt local businesses.
“By the time they pay for… you know their employees the minimum wage, the high cost of food, the utilities and all of that. If you walk around downtown you'll see many many restaurants have closed. I think that it's really hard on the small business,” Myclin said.
Several businesses have shut-down in downtown SLO over the past few years. Most recently, SLO Provisions closed operations after nine years in business. Although, the owners have not disclosed a reason for the closure.
Some people who work in the food industry, who would benefit from the measures’ passage, are upset about the apparent loss.
Graham New said he’s worked in the service industry since graduating high school.
“This place I used to work at…it was a super high end restaurant and the sections we worked pulled in a million a year for the owner and we’re getting maybe 60k a year if we’re full time. So it's always felt like a slap in the face. I was hoping to raise that for me and my co-workers,” New said.
New said he recently moved back to San Diego to live with his parents because he could not afford rent on the Central Coast.
According to the MIT calculator, the living wage in California and SLO County is about $27 an hour. That number is based on a family’s cost for basic needs, such as food, housing, transportation, childcare, and health care.
