The countdown to the new California minimum wage is winding down and major restaurants are hinting at how they will cope with the bump up to $20 an hour. Some are planning menu price increases, passing some of the labor cost on to the customer. Others will ramp up their use of things like fry robots, automated drink dispensers and self-serve kiosks. McDonalds, Taco Bell and others already rely heavily on their mobile app for pre-orders. The wage increase is being called a critical cost of living boost for the roughly 700,000 fast food workers in the state. The new minimum wage kicks in on Monday.
Former California State Controller Betty Yee has officially launched her campaign for governor. In a video statement announcing her campaign, Yee said she’s hearing that “California is more out of balance than ever.” Two other female political leaders are in the race for governor, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and California Senate Leader Toni Atkins.
A California judge is recommending former Trump legal adviser John Eastman be disbarred for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. On Wednesday, Eastman was found guilty of making false and misleading statements and for his role in provoking the January sixth riot at the Capitol. The judge said Eastman should be disbarred from the practice of law in California and that his name should be removed from the roll of attorneys.
You can see Lake County’s new Poet Laureate be inaugurated this weekend. Brenda Yaeger will be honored on Saturday from 1 to 3pm at Fore Family Vineyards. The event will happen in the tasting room on Main Street in Kelseyville. The outgoing Poet Laureate will be there to say her goodbyes and to welcome Yaeger to her new role. A virtual inauguration will also happen on Zoom, Monday April 1st from 5 to 7pm. Click here for Zoom Access.
The City of Fort Bragg will hold a special meeting of the Finance and Administration Committee this afternoon. The meeting is scheduled for 4pm at the Town Hall on Main Street. Agenda items include a review of the treasury report and the review of contracts and change orders.
A whooping cough outbreak in Northern California is getting worse. A couple hours south of here, in Marin County, one high school is now dealing with 93 cases. Officials are keeping parents updated but have not started a mask mandate. The highly contagious bacterial disease mostly affects children and state officials say it could spread even more over spring break. Symptoms can show up five to 21 days after infection, with some developing a severe cough that lasts for weeks or months.
Beware in the water. A system that warns of danger off California’s coast is now in danger itself. It could end this summer when state funding stops. The lab behind the program alerts swimmers and surfers when great white sharks are near beaches. But the director fears there won’t be enough money in the budget to save it. He says they need seven-million dollars to keep the high-tech system running for the next few years.
