(NewsInsights.org) – Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein’s death left a vacancy for her seat among California politicians. Four candidates have emerged to vie for the position, participating in debates to help differentiate themselves. On Monday, February 12, Democratic Representatives Barbara Lee, Katie Porter, and Adam Schiff met with Republican candidate and former baseball sensation Steve Garvey for another debate, and one of them struggled to defend a previous proposal of a $50 per hour minimum wage.
Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), citing what she believed was a United Way report, tried to justify her suggestion that the state increase its minimum wage to $50 per hour from the current California level of $15 to $20 per hour. According to Fox 40 Sacramento, she said the report indicated that “$127,000 for a family of four is just barely enough to get by” in the San Francisco Bay area and that another survey had shown that $104,000 annually would only marginally allow an individual to survive economically “because of the affordability crisis.”
Lee cajoled her Senate competitors to “do the math,” adding that a $50 per hour minimum wage would barely meet the $104,000 annual recommended requirement. While she felt a national minimum of $20 to $25 per hour was sufficient, she said she was most concerned with providing for her constituents. Her three competitors had strong reactions to her suggestion.
Garvey said he saw no reason to increase the state minimum wage, citing the recent wage increase from $15 per hour to $20 per hour that began on January 1 for fast food workers. He pointed out that the increase will raise prices for “hard-working Californians,” including fast food workers themselves. The minimum wage for most other California workers increased to $16 per hour. However, some healthcare workers could see raises in June to between $18 to $23 per hour, depending on the type of facility and geographical location.
In a January debate, Porter suggested raising the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour and raising the California minimum to $25 per hour. In that same debate, Schiff had suggested increasing the national minimum wage to $25 per hour. Responding to Garvey’s assessment, Schiff pointed out that so many people in California are living on the streets because they can’t find housing while earning “poverty wages,” according to Fox News.
Copyright 2024, NewsInsights.org
