To the editor: While academics and state officials tout California’s talent and innovation, they conveniently ignore the damage being done by Sacramento’s relentless overregulation and misguided wage mandates (“Why companies born and raised in California are leaving the state,” Aug. 4).
The $20 per hour minimum wage for fast-food workers, imposed last year, has already been linked to thousands of layoffs. Just last month, a National Bureau of Economic Research study found that the state has lost 18,000 jobs in the fast-food sector. That’s not a coincidence — it’s a direct result of political decisions made without regard for economic consequences.
Now Los Angeles is pushing the envelope even further, with hotel worker wages set to hit $30 per hour by 2028. Already, investors are backing away from hotel projects in the region, spooked by unsustainable labor costs and a hostile regulatory climate. Can you blame them?
California politicians seem more interested in scoring headlines than creating a stable environment for business. The truth is, California is becoming a cautionary tale. Although the state still has natural advantages, those are being squandered by lawmakers more focused on appeasing special interest groups than fostering real economic growth.
Businesses aren’t leaving California because they dislike the weather or the people — they’re leaving because it no longer makes sense to stay. And until our leaders start listening to job creators instead of just activists, that trend will only continue.
Hua Gu, Calabasas
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To the editor: When you (or, in In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder's case, your grandparents) establish a billion-dollar company, you should at the least not bite the hand that made you. In this case, California.
These successful entrepreneurs and companies are successful because of their abilities, as well as the vibrant culture and people in California that support them. Oh, and our spectacular scenery and weather don’t hurt.
Mindy Taylor-Ross, Venice
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To the editor: I sure wish, in one of her interviews, someone would ask Snyder, who donated $2 million to super PAC MAGA Inc., what she thinks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security agents wearing masks and neck gaiters. After all, she forbade In-N-Out employees from wearing masks unless they had a doctor’s note.
As she departs for Tennessee, here’s one former In-N-Out customer saying, “Bye, Felicia.”
Liz White, Los Angeles
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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