Labor
What if the future of work is exactly the same?
Vox 4/18
For Maria Martinez, the future of work has never looked particularly bright. In most of her 25 years as a dishwasher at a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Southern California, she had never gotten a raise beyond the minimum wage hikes mandated by the government.
When Quitting Normalizes, Benefit to Low-Wage Workers May Subside
Wall Street Journal 4/17
Low-wage workers capitalized on the rare opportunity of a tight labor market with a burst of job-switching.
Food Industry Policy
Big fight brewing over California ballot measure to reduce single-use plastics
Los Angeles Times 4/17
SAN JOSE — On any given afternoon, the garbage cans in San Jose’s Westfield Oakridge Mall food court overflow with plastic spoons, forks, soft drink cups and takeout food containers.
Are COVID-19 vaccine mandates losing their luster?
The Mercury News 4/17
After COVID-19 vaccines became widely available last year, federal, state and local leaders were tripping over themselves to show their tough-on-the-virus bona fides by mandating the shots for the workplace, the classroom, the bar and the ballgame.
On the Side
Taco Bell is bringing back its Mexican Pizza in May
Restaurant Business 4/18
Taco Bell said on Monday that it is bringing back its Mexican Pizza this May, following nearly two years of clamoring from fans including a Change.org petition, thousands of social media comments and even a request from legendary musician Dolly Parton.
Interactive graph shows Sacramento bar and restaurant foot traffic after latest COVID surge
The Sacramento Bee 4/16
Sacramentans went to restaurants and bars more frequently in March compared to the month before, according to points of interest data.
