Labor
A wonky theory could explain why the minimum wage is stuck at $7.25 an hour
Business Insider 4/24
Meet the “Optimum Currency Area” (OCA) theory, coined by the late Canadian, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Mundell. He created the OCA theory in 1961 as an idea of currency allocation extending beyond national borders. Geographic and geopolitical regions that share similarities could also share a currency for greater economic efficiency, he proposed.
Opinion: Even with exemptions, AB 5 is still rotten to the core
The Orange County Register 4/24
With House passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, the nation veered one step closer to replicating the federal equivalent of California’s disastrous Assembly Bill 5 law that continues to put hundreds of thousands of independent contractors in the Golden State permanently out of business.
Food Industry Policy
No Waste Cafe Is More Than Just a Name
NBC Los Angeles 4/24
Mother Earth cannot do it alone. We’re highlighting a coffee shop owner who will become 92% zero waste by the end of the year. Toni Guinyard shows us how.
Teens Volunteer to Book Vaccine Appointments for Street Vendors in East LA
NBC Los Angeles 4/24
The teens are student members of the Weingart YMCA of East Los Angeles who want to make sure street vendors understand the importance of getting vaccinated against the coronavirus.
On the Side
THE RESTAURANT CRITIC’S JOB HAS CHANGED … MAYBE FOREVER
Restaurant Business Online 4/24
Traditional restaurant reviews were a casualty of the pandemic, but change was in the air pre-COVID. What happens next?
New marijuana-inspired sandwich shop brings its munchies to San Antonio
My San Antonio 4/23
According to its website, the “toasted” sub shop offers over 30 signature sub sandwiches, like the Chronic (roast beef, barbecue, green bell pepper, ‘shrooms, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and house dressing) and dank (genoa salami, pepperoni, marinara, double provolone, and shake).