Minimum Wage of National Fast Food Chain Workers in Calfiornia to Increase to $20 on April 1, 2024

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Assembly Bill 1228 was signed by Governor Newsom on September 28, 2023. The bill authorizes, among other things, an increase in the minimum wage of employees at national fast food restaurants to $20 on April 1, 2024.

That’s a substantial increase in the current minimum wage for fast food workers, which as of January 1, 2024 will be $16 for California hourly employees (a 25% increase) and as of July 1, 2023 has been $16.90 for hourly employees in unincorporated Los Angeles County (an 18% increase). Ventura County hourly employees currently fall under the California minimum wage rate.

So does this mean that ALL fast food workers in California will automatically start earning at least $20 per hour next April? No. It applies to workers at “national fast food chains,” which is defined as “a set of limited-service restaurants consisting of more than 60 establishments nationally that share a common brand, or that are characterized by standardized options for decor, marketing, packaging, products, and services, and which are primarily engaged in providing food and beverages for immediate consumption on or off premises where patrons generally order or select items and pay before consuming, with limited or no table service."

Bakeries gets a break. “Fast food restaurant” shall not include an establishment that on September 15, 2023, operates a bakery that produces for sale on the establishment’s premises bread, as defined under Part 136 of Subchapter B of Chapter I of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, so long as it continues to operate such a bakery. This exemption applies only where the establishment produces for sale bread as a stand-alone menu item, and does not apply if the bread is available for sale solely as part of another menu item."

AB 1228 goes on to state that the hourly minimum wage may increase annually by the lesser of 3.5% or inflation over the the most recent July 1 to June 30 period.

So some additional questions come to mind:

  1. If a chain has 60+ establishments but they are only based in California, does this represent a “national fast food chain” under AB 1228? My suspicion is yes.

  2. How will AB 1228 impact fast food eateries with 59 or less locations? Why would someone want to continue earning $15.50 at a smaller chain when they could work at Taco Bell or Burger King and earn $20? It would seem that although the law is written for larger chains, clearly it will impact all fast food eateries in the state.

  3. How will AB 1228 impact other minimum wage jobs? As with smaller eateries, it would seem that all minimum wage jobs will be indirectly impacted by AB 1228. A $4 per hour difference between entry level fast food jobs and other minimum wage jobs is significant.

Read the entire bill at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1228.

Eateries That Opened in the First Half of 2023 and are Coming Soon to the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County

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We’re mid-way through 2023 and have already seen several new dozen new eateries opening in the Conejo Valley and nearby areas, with another several dozen working to open in the coming months. See the list below.

New Eateries That Opened in the First Half of 2023

Throwback Moment: Price-Costco Store Opened in Westlake Village in August 1996

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Costco Westlake Village seen from the North Ranch Open Space

Let’s face it…the Westlake Village Costco is one of the most popular places to go in the Conejo Valley. Always teeming with shoppers and sample hunters, it seems the local community would be lost without this store.

Let’s go back in time to when it opened…

The store opened its doors as PriceCostco on Thursday, August 8, 1996 at 5700 Lindero Canyon Road. Price-Costco was formed in 1993 with the merger of Price Club (which opened its first location on July 12, 1976 in San Diego) and Costco (which opened its first warehouse in Seattle on September 15, 1983).

One of my life’s guilty pleasures…the $1.50 Costco Hot Dog and Soda deal.

One of my guilty pleasures…the $1.50 Costco Hot Dog and Soda deal.

Who remembers PriceCostco? The merger between the two companies took place in 1993. Price Club was being pursued by Walmart to merge with the Sam’s Club warehouse store chain. Price opted to merge with Costco instead. And wallah…PriceCostco was created. At the time, there were 206 locations. As of August 2022, there are 838 Costco locations worldwide.

The prior management team from Price Club, the Price brothers, left the company in 1994 and in 1997, “Price” was dropped from the name and it became Costco.

According to a 1/4/96 VC Star article, PriceCostco purchased the 30 acre site at Lindero Canyon Road and Westlake Boulevard in Westlake Village for $9.3 million, with plans for a 136,000 sq ft Price Club.

Local residents were against the addition of the warehouse club to the community. City Council approved the project as it was allowed as part of a long-term commercial development agreement in place with owners of the property. However, the city stipulated approval was required for specifics like exterior color scheme, roofing materials in earth tone colors, etc.

Flashback to 2009: There were high hopes for a 2nd Conejo Valley Costco location in Newbury Park at the corner of Grande Vista Drive and Academy Drive. But according to a T.O. Acorn article on 1/29/09, Costco could not make the project economically feasible as it was “unable to finalize a lease for the site.”

It is clear that Costco prefers to own its land and buildings, not lease them. In Costco’s annual Form 10-K filing for the fiscal year ended August 29, 2021, fully 79% of its 815 warehouses around the world were owned; the remaining 19% were leased.

Lowe’s and LA Fitness were able to work a deal with owners of the property in Newbury Park and the City of Thousand Oaks Planning Commission approved the project to build locations there at a meeting on 12/13/10. Lowe’s Newbury Park opened on July 4, 2019.

New Eateries That Opened in 2022 and Coming Soon to the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County as We Enter 2023

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We’re at the end of 2022, just a week away from 2023. Here’s a compilation of the some of new local eateries that opened in the Conejo Valley and surrounding areas in 2022 and eateries anticipated to be opening soon in the new year.

New Eateries That Opened in 2022

Eateries That Are Anticipated to Open in 2023

Registered Voters in Ventura County in October 2022 vs May 2022

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The Ventura County Registrar of Voters website has up to date counts showing the number of registered voters in Ventura County. From time to time we like to take a look at that data and compare it to prior years.

On October 29, 2022, there were 504,897 registered voters in Ventura County, a slight drop of 1,131 registered voters as of May 11, 2022. Here is the breakdown by affiliation:

  • 220,697 Democrats (a 741 voter increase in 5 months) (43.7% of all registered voters)

  • 141,852 Republicans (a 1,375 voter decrease) (28.1% of all registered voters)

  • 104,542 Nonpartisans (a 1,419 voter decrease) (20.7% of all registered voters)

  • 37,806 Other (a 922 voter decrease) (7.5% of all registered voters)

In May 2019, there were 445,217 registered voters, including:

  • 176,712 Democrats

  • 130,228 Republicans

  • 110,225 Nonpartisans

  • 28,052 Other

On May 12, 2012, there were 406,644 registered voters in Ventura County, consisting of:

  • 157,539 Democrats

  • 150,919 Republicans

  • 77,994 Nonpartisans

  • 20,192 Other

Can’t remember if you are eligible to vote? Look it up at THIS LINK. What I’ve found with this Voter Eligibility Search function is that, unlike a search engine, your search terms have to be precise. If you are registered as Richard King, if you type Rich King into the search, it will not find you.

Register to vote online at registertovote.ca.gov.

The California "Middle Class Tax Refund" Will Be Paid Out in October 2022 through January 2023

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The State of California will be issuing tax refunds totaling about $9.5 billion to approximately 23 million Californians starting mid-October through mid-January 2023. This refund is called the Middle Class Tax Refund and was included in the $308 billion California state budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

The Middle Class Tax Refund payout will be as much as $1,050 per household, based on 2020 California “adjusted gross income” (CA AGI) on your tax return.

Qualifications:

  • Must have filed your 2020 tax return by October 15, 2021

  • Must have CA AGI that falls below certain parameters (shown below)

  • Have been a CA resident for at least 6 months in 2020

  • Was not eligible to be claimed as a dependent in 2020

  • Must be a CA resident on the date the payment is issued

Payment Amounts on Married Filing Joint Tax Returns:

  • CA AGI $150,000 or less: $1050 with dependent; $700 without dependent

  • CA AGI $150,001 to $250,000: $750 with dependent; $500 without dependent

  • CA AGI $250,001 to $500,000: $600 with dependent; $400 without dependent

(So let me get this straight. Our government is going to cut a check for $400 to a couple without kids who earned $500,000 in 2020. Mastro’s is going to be busy!)

Payment Amounts on Head of Household Tax Returns:

  • CA AGI $150,000 or less: $700 with dependent; $350 without dependent

  • CA AGI $150,001 to $250,000: $500 with dependent; $250 without dependent

  • CA AGI $250,001 to $500,000: $400 with dependent; $200 without dependent

Payment Amounts on Single and Married Filing Separate Tax Returns:

  • CA AGI $75,000 or less: $700 with dependent; $350 without dependent

  • CA AGI $75,001 to $125,000: $500 with dependent; $250 without dependent

  • CA AGI $125,001 to $250,000: $400 with dependent; $200 without dependent

How Payments Will Be Received

  • If you filed electrically and used the direct deposit option on your return (assuming you had a refund), your payment will be received by direct deposit.

  • Otherwise you’ll be paid via debit card.

For more information, visit the Franchise Tax Board “Middle Class Tax Refund” page at taxrefund.ca.gov.

Questions That Come to Mind (that are not addressed by the Franchise Tax Board):

  • What happens if your banking information changed since then? Don’t know for sure but I suspect the payment would bounce and they would send you a debit card.

  • What happens if your filing status changed from 2020 to today? For example, I was married in 2020 and filed jointly but am single and available (hint hint) today in 2022? Who gets our $1,050 (married, one dependent)? Me or my ex-spouse? Good question. No idea. The FTB did not provide alternative scenarios, so I’d imagine the primary spouse on the return will receive the payment.. You might have to track down the ex for your half.

  • I was single in 2020 but am married today with a toddler. How much do I get? The FTB bases the payment on your filing status in 2020, so both you and your spouse will receive payments, if any, based on that.

  • What happens if I lose the gift card? Well, you’ll have to bring that up with the FTB. Good luck! Best advice - don’t lose it.

  • I didn’t file a tax return in 2020 because my gross income and CA AGI were less than the filing requirements published by the Franchise Tax Board. Otherwise, I met all the other requirements for the refund. How can I get it? Unless the FTB amends its initial rules to address your situation, it appears you are out of luck. But visit the taxrefund.ca.gov website for possible updates.

  • I made $17.50 an hour at The Taco Shack in 2020 and will receive a $350 refund. My brother George pulled down $250,000 in 2020 as VP of Stuff at Bookoo Bucko, Inc. and will receive $200. How is that fair? Does that make any sense? Pretty much no, but let’s look at it in a different way. You’re getting 20 hours’ pay. George is only getting a couple hours’ pay. Feel better now?

  • I think this whole thing is stupid. The entire $9.5 billion should be used to fund nine desalinization plants along the California coast. How do I tell them to keep the money as I think this is a waste? I don’t think there’s a mechanism in place to not take the refund. But if it’s burning a hole in your pocket, hit the CVG Tip Jar at bit.ly/SupportCVG!

Street Number Painting on Your Curb in Thousand Oaks

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curbaddresspainting.jpeg

Did you ever wonder about those notices taped to your mailbox asking for $20 to paint a new curb address at your house? I think I paid $10 one time years ago and they did do a good job (and it saved me the time and effort of attempting to do it myself).

But these notices never seem to have a name or phone number on them. Just mysteriously taped to my mailbox.

According to the Thousand Oaks Public Works Department at 805.449.2400, this practice requires an encroachment permit and to date no one has filed for one.  The permit costs $320 (in 2022 - it was $126 in 2017) for an entrepreneur, or no cost for non-profit organizations and fundraisers (booster clubs, etc.).  The permit is good for a year.

Public Works requires that the provider's name and number be indicated on the notice.

More information at www.toaks.org/home/showdocument?id=692.

Anyone can paint their own curb address.  The numbers must be at least 3 inches high (preferably 4 inches), stenciled in black on white background.  It must cover up the previous numbers but if there weren't any, they must be within 3 feet of the driveway on the same side as the house.

The recent notice offered an American flag in full color painted along with the address for an extra $5.  This is very patriotic and if everyone did it would be quite cool, but technically the City only allows numbers on the curb, no images.  So fly the flag high but don't be painting it on the curb.

You are now educated on the topic of curb address painting in Thousand Oaks.

Originally posted in January 2009. Updated August 2017. and 2022.