Daily Business Report: Monday, September 15, 2025
Two years later, Californians still don’t know full impact of the $20 fast food wage
By Dan Walters | CalMatters
As the California Legislature churns toward the end of its 2025 session this week, processing the remnants of thousands of bills introduced during the year, several measures encompass the Capitol’s most enduring conflict: Labor unions vs. employers over working conditions.
Unions seek higher wages and benefits, citing the welfare and financial needs of workers and their families. Employers counter that the cost of providing what unions want adversely affects their competitiveness in other states and nations and forces them to raise prices, reduce employment or even leave California to remain solvent.
In the main, unions fare better than employers in California’s political arena — not surprising given that union-friendly Democrats from the governor down dominate the Capitol.
California Legislature’s ‘Gut and Amend’ is ‘Bait and Switch’, This Time Trying to Destroy Charter Schools
By Katy Grimes | California Globe
The “gut and amend” bills in the California Legislature are nothing more than a legislative bait-and-switch. “Gutting and amending” unrelated bills into controversial legislation prevents Californians the time guaranteed by law to review and deliberate.
We recently saw this explained in a lawsuit over the very controversial and dubious redistricting legislation. The Globe reported in August that the Dhillon Law Group filed and Emergency Petition for Writ of Mandate with the California Supreme Court challenging the Legislature’s attempt to bypass the California Constitution’s 30–day public review requirement by “gutting and amending” unrelated bills (AB 604 and SB 280) into sweeping redistricting legislation without giving Californians the time guaranteed by law to review and deliberate.
Democrats in the California Legislature did not disappoint this year.
Je Suis Charlie
By the Editors | The Free Press
Charlie Kirk’s assassination has hit the staff of The Free Press hard. Some of us knew him personally, but even those of us who didn’t found ourselves deeply distressed when we first heard the news Wednesday afternoon.
We’re journalists, which means we are used to reporting on horrible events, including gun violence, assaults, and murders.
So why does this one feel different? Why is there sure to be a prolonged impact from this tragedy?
