Jerry BrownCredit: Neon Tommy / photo on flickrCalifornia Gov. Jerry Brown simply does not care about what will happen to citizens in non-urban parts of the state under a $15 minimum wage.
He didn’t literally say that, but what he did say when today was that he understood that there may be some bad outcomes for such a massive, unprecedented mandate. And then he signed it into law anyway.
Here’s the quote of what he said. Look for one little adverb that indicated (probably accidentally) exactly why the law was passed, even though Brown has previously been resistant to it:
Economically, minimum wages may not make sense. But morally, socially, and politically they make every sense because it binds the community together to make sure parents can take care of their kids.
The key word is “politically.” Politics don’t hold communities together. But they can keep entrenched interests in power.
Read more from Brown’s signing here, my analysis (and others) on the potential terrible impact of the increase hereand here (including interactions with California labor law that nobody is even talking about), and note that New York Gov. Mario Cuomo also signed a $15 minimum wage law today.