Governor Brown, labor unions, and state lawmakers have announced an agreement to more gradually raise California’s minimum wage from 10 to 15 dollars an hour, which would be the largest in the nation, by far. That will likely mean the issue will not appear on the November ballot, although the initiative qualified for the ballot last week. The deal will will extend incremental increases an additional year, or until 2022. But the owner of Cirino’s On Main Street in Grass Valley says there will be no economic benefits…

click to listen to Jerry Cirino

Jerry Cirino says his own employees also echoed that sentiment. He says when the minimum wage increased from 9 dollars last year to 10 dollars in January he had to lay off some employees…

click to listen to Jerry Cirino

The next two increases would be 50-cents, starting in 2017 and 2018. The remaining increases would then be a-dollar. Any future increases would be linked to inflation. Smaller businesses would get until 2023 to comply. Discussions regarding the minimum wage have gained more momentum, with growing concern about income equality. According to a Public Policy Institute poll, 81-percent of likely California voters say the gap between rich and poor is widening.