A Balanced Approach to Wages—No on $25/Hour Proposal

I urge you to oppose all sector-specific minimum wage mandates—particularly the proposed $25/hour tourism and hospitality wage—and to support the repeal of California’s $20/hour fast-food wage law, which recent research shows is already having negative consequences. A July 2025 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) titled “Did California’s Fast Food Minimum Wage Reduce Employment?” (https://www.nber.org/papers/w34033) - found the policy led to approximately 18,000 job losses and significantly offset wage gains through reduced hours. These findings highlight the risks of inflexible mandates disconnected from economic fundamentals—especially for tourism hubs like Downtown and the beach districts. Recent labor data amplifies this concern. California added just 15,000 jobs in July, with the unemployment rate climbing to 5.5%. Nationwide, August BLS figures show nonfarm payrolls rose by only 22,000, pointing to a stalling job market. Enacting aggressive wage mandates amid softening conditions will only further destabilize vulnerable businesses and workers in the tourism industry and others that benefit from tourism economic activity. To be clear, I support reducing the cost of living and support competitive wage growth as a rising tide lifts all boats—but San Diego’s working families need lasting solutions rooted in abundance economics, not scarcity politics. That means expanding housing supply, reducing structural costs, and fostering economic flexibility by eliminating and opposing regulations that deter business investment and which makes San Diego City less economically competitive with the rest of the County and United States—not rewarding union special interests at the expense of overall job growth and affordability for all. Please protect the long-term health of San Diego’s economy and oppose this Tourism Minimum wage.