The votes are in, and California voters narrowly rejected Prop 32, which would have further increased the state minimum wage to $18. Ag Council helped to lead a coordinated effort to oppose Prop 32 along with other organizations. This is the first time California voters defeated a minimum wage increase.
Ag Council President Emily Rooney said, “Our farmers already face rising costs for everything from labor to energy, and Prop 32 would have further exacerbated the thin margins confronting family farmers working to produce locally grown food and ag products. Prop 32 would have pushed costs to unsustainable levels, affecting both producers and consumers. The increased labor expenses would have inevitably led to higher prices for California-grown food, impacting families statewide.”
Ag Council collaborated with other associations from within agriculture and business, including Western Growers Association and others, in a coordinated No on Prop 32 effort that included mailers to over 12 million voters, as well as an online ad urging voters to oppose the measure.
California has doubled the state minimum wage since 2010, and the state currently has the third highest minimum wage in the nation.
The defeat of Prop 32 reveals that California voters understood how the measure would have impacted the affordability of basic necessities, such as food.
Californians are sensitive to kitchen table, economic issues. In the end, the cost of living is just too high and that is why the majority of voters rejected Prop 32.