(PatriotSpotlight.org) – California Governor Gavin Newsom is under fire over claims that Panera Bread received special treatment in new minimum wage legislation, following its owner’s donations to the Democrat’s campaign.
According to reports from Bloomberg News, Greg Flynn, CEO of the restaurant group which oversees the Panera chain, lobbied Newsom’s top aides to reconsider the classification of fast-casual chains under the new law, which hiked the minimum wage for Californian fast-food workers from $16 to $20 per hour. The report suggested that the Service Employees International Union California State Council scored a deal which would exclude bakeries operating in restaurants from the fresh push for legally mandatory wage hikes.
Newsom’s office has fiercely rejected these claims, referring to the report’s allegations as “absurd” and stating that the governor did not discuss the matter with Flynn. Alex Stack, a spokesperson for the Golden State’s Governor, emphasized that there were no plans to specifically make Panera stores exempt from the law. California Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones has condemned the alleged preferential treatment offered to Panera as “crony capitalism” and is demanding an investigation into the matter by the state’s attorney general.
Regardless, suspicions remain over the matter given that Flynn, who publicly campaigned against the bill, allegedly donated more than $164,800 to Newsom’s run for the governorship. The New York Post also reported on this so-called “bread exemption”, under Newsom’s Fast Food Accountability and Standards Act (FAST Act), initially put forward in 2022. The law exempted food chains which bake and sell bread as a standalone item from the new requirements. The exemption only applies if the bread is not sold as part of another menu option.
Newsom, being the Governor of the US state with both the highest GDP and population, has been touted as a future President, and many speculated that his decision to debate erstwhile GOP Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis was a way of lining him up as a potential replacement for President Joe Biden. This row is yet another hurdle for his public image amid California’s looming budget crisis.
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