As part of a larger mock election unit he’s conducting at Pitman High School in Turlock, teacher Isaac W. Farhadian had his students in AP U.S. government and politics, U.S. government and economics write letters to the editor.
Opinion
Because of the volume of letters, we are breaking them up by ballot proposition. We are publishing batches of letters, sometimes edited for length, in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 5 election.
The following letter regards Proposition 32 , which would raise the California minimum wage as follows: For employers with 26 or more employees, to $17 immediately, $18 on Jan. 1, 2025. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, to $17 on Jan. 1, 2025, $18 on Jan. 1, 2026.
Raising minimum wage will just raise prices
Dear Editor,
It would seem that the people of our grand state do not understand simple economics! When I read that Proposition 32 had garnered as much support as it had, I could hardly believe my eyes. Raising the minimum wage to $18 will not help the problem. Raising the minimum to $17 will not help the problem. I repeat to all who did not listen in their economics classes, raising the minimum wage will not help the problem! I present a simple concept called push inflation, which states that when wages rise, so do the prices of products sold. Prop. 32 is not only ineffective but actually hurts small companies. With many stores lining Main Street, Prop. 32 will force them to raise their wages and hurt their profits, risking beloved local businesses to close shop. Proposition 32 will simply do more harm than good (if there is any good that comes with it). Supporters of Prop. 32 argue that citizens will be able to afford the basic cost of living with a mandated raise. But answer me this, people: Why would we raise the minimum wage to afford basic needs when those same needs will rise in cost along with those wages? I rest my case. Increasing the cost of living, hurting small businesses and overall being ineffective is not a proposition that citizens should vote for.
Omar Madriz, Keyes
Wage increase will ‘overpower’ resulting inflation
Dear Editor,
Why must the working class continue failing to keep up in this economy? Inflation has ruined this economy and it has become extremely difficult to almost impossible to keep up in this world for the minimum wage class. That’s why Prop. 32 would aid the working class by increasing the minimum wage to $18 an hour. This will definitely cause inflation around the country as well, but compared to the gain of $18, it will still make it better as it will have more of an impact than inflation will. They will have an easier time to save and/or invest their money and it will make working lives easier. If Prop. 32 is passed, it will make a huge difference to the working class and will allow for more flexibility. Soon enough after the prop is passed, the economy will stabilize and the inflation would be less, so that the $18 an hour will overpower the inflation. In this economy, surviving on only $15 an hour is extremely difficult as the prices of necessities have increased in price dramatically over the past 10 years. Vote yes on Prop. 32 for better living conditions for minimum wage workers.
Mark Shlaymoon, Turlock
Prop. 32 looks good on paper, but that’s it
Dear Editor,
Our current economy is filled with mountains of debt and mass inflation; millions of Californians are struggling to afford basic necessities, and the passing of Prop. 32 will not remedy these problems. An increase in the minimum wage for all jobs would strengthen the spending power of consumers. Sounds good on paper, but in reality this would lead to an increase in the prices of everything from food to homes to even insurance. In 2023, Assembly Bill 1228 passed, which is similar to Prop. 32. This bill increased the minimum wage of fast-food workers from $16 to $20. This increase in wages caused thousands of people to get laid off due to cost cuts, and many restaurants were closed because they couldn’t afford to operate. There is a high probability that a similar scenario could occur not just in restaurants but in other fields as well if Prop. 32 passes. Due to the possibilities of increased taxes, costs and job layoffs, the best decision one could make is to vote no on Prop. 32.
Ryan Yamamoto, Turlock
Domino effect of wage increase includes layoffs
Dear Editor,
How many times will we keep raising the minimum wage until we realize the true detriment we are causing to our community? With each dollar that minimum wage rises, the cost of living rises as well. A vote yes for this proposition would be a vote to pay workers $18 an hour, as well as a vote yes to make basic necessities essentially unaffordable and inaccessible to members of the community. Some may think the extra dollar workers are being paid will help them to afford the cost of living and give them the means to live more comfortably than they would on a $17 rate. Wrong. Employers who must afford this extra cost will resort to laying off employees who are undeserving of termination. If you think this problem doesn’t impact you, you are certainly mistaken. This is a pressing issue that will create consequences to everyone through a domino effect. The cost of living is already expensive enough; why would we agree to make it even worse? Make the choice to vote no on proposition 32 and avoid adding to the problem.
Maren Areias
Proposition 32 nothing more than a shallow, short-term fix
Dear Editor,
Do you know what I find sad? A bunch of people who constantly complain about prices rising yet proceed to propose something that will only slightly help before raising prices even more. This is referring to Proposition 32, a ballot that if passed will raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour. On the surface, this could help many with paying off expenses, but this is a shallow fix. If the minimum wage is increased, then prices will eventually go up as well, and if that happened, then the wage increase would be useless. Don’t believe me? On Jan. 1, 2024, California pushed a law that minimum wage would be changed to $16 an hour. And yet here we are later in the year choosing to up the wage once again, hoping that this time the problem will be fixed. As mentioned before, the minimum wage increase would cause prices to increase. This has been seen in fast-food places such as McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A. It’s obvious to me that this ballot should not be taken into effect and instead California and the government should work on decreasing prices, although that is easier said than done.
Christiano Barkhoy, Turlock
Lowest-wage workers are falling below cost of living
Dear Editor,
Imagine being put in a state of dire need for money. Imagine working paycheck to paycheck as the state’s economy crashes. Imagine not being able to feed your kids or provide for your loved ones. Therefore, I support passing Prop. 32. As a former worker, having the minimum wage raised to $18 an hour would greatly benefit myself and many others. Given that the inflation is high in an attempt to replenish our national debt, raising the minimum wage to $18 will help alleviate the stress placed upon workers. Most workers are losing their homes and can’t provide for their families, as the cost of living is extremely high. Not raising the minimum wage to $18 will cause many families to fall short and become a part of the growing homeless population or worse. As the inflation continues to rise as more people are getting jobs, the ones who are left behind in the $16-$17-an-hour wage gap are falling below the cost of living, which increases homelessness and stops people from providing for loved ones fully.
Elexi Pulido, Turlock
Don’t raise wage, but rather attack inflation
Dear Editor,
Studies from the MIT Living Wage calculator show that in California alone, the cost of living has skyrocketed to the point where if you wanted to live on your own and have all basic necessities met, you would need to make over $27 an hour. Through Prop. 32, we have an opportunity to raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour, but what good would that do us? There are so many businesses affected by the wage as it is now and the inflation it causes. If prices stayed the same, it still would not work for anyone working at minimum wage because they are still down nearly $10 from the standard. The only way for our financial crisis to be figured out is if we attack it at the source of inflation. Adults and grandparents have talked about a bright future for the youth, but how bright would it be if our opportunities leave due to not being able to afford the basic cost of living. Prop. 32 wouldn’t benefit society but instead just cause more inflation, businesses shutting down, and jobs being lost. Vote no on Prop. 32.
Isaac Saucedo, Keyes
Wage increase equals price increases and job losses
Dear Editor,
Prop 32 is useless. It would increase the minimum wage from $16 to $18 an hour. For instance, the boss isn’t making enough money due to an increase in pay, so the solution is to increase prices to make the original profits. As a teenager who makes minimum wage, I understand that more money sounds great, but businesses still need to raise prices to gain a profit. This negatively impacts my day-to-day purchases because of how expensive products have become. Prop. 32 might sound nice because of 3 reasons: 1) People are able to make more money, 2) Single parents can afford their bills, and 3) Prices are affordable. However, the reality is having to not only spend more but keep less, resulting in less money. In addition, it causes an increase in job losses. The Franchisor Responsibility Act (passed on Sept. 28, 2023) made California’s minimum wage increase to $20 per hour for fast-food employees. The result was that around 10,000 people lost their jobs before the act took effect. Let’s not repeat this same mistake again. Say no to Prop. 32.
Daniel Magana, Turlock
Positive cycle starts with better wages
Dear Editor,
In today’s world, where the cost of just living goes up each day, what happens when the wages meant to support us remain painfully still? Proposition 32 could be the turning point, shining a harsh light on the shocking reality faced by countless workers. Proposition 32 isn’t just about money, it’s about treating people with dignity, respect and fairness.
Picture this: my single mother working two jobs just to scrape by, finally able to spend more time with her children because she’s earning a fair wage. This is the reality we can create. Some fear that raising wages will burden small businesses, leading to higher prices or job cuts. These concerns are valid and deserve our attention. However, we must ask ourselves, can we really afford to continue a system where so many are left behind, struggling day after day?
Let’s think about the bigger picture. When workers earn more, they spend more, which helps our local economy. Small businesses will get more customers, and our community will grow stronger and bigger. It’s a positive cycle that starts with fair wages.
I believe in the power in the people or of our community to lift each other up. To be supporting Proposition 32, we are saying YES to fairness and NO to inequality. We are taking a stand for a brighter, more just future for everyone. Let’s make history together. Learn about Proposition 32, spread the word. Together, we can turn this vision into reality.
Jose Ochoa, Turlock
Everyone deserves to fill their basic needs
Dear Editor,
We deserve a community where everyone can afford their basic needs like food and other necessities and live with peace and dignity. If we raise the minimum wage to $18, it would help us get closer to that by making sure that workers earn a fair wage for their labor. This change could lead to more financial stability and a better quality of life for many people, benefiting everyone. I understand there are concerns about the impact on small businesses, but I believe that in the long run, the pros of increasing the minimum wage outweigh these issues, which therefore make it a better decision.
Daniel Ost, Turlock
Prop. 32 or not, there will be inflation
Dear Editor,
Proposition 32 would increase the minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2025 in California. Not only could this help young adults with surviving in such a high cost of living, this could also assist struggling parents when their children get an income. As a teenager who lives in this state, Prop. 32 could help me and my family with purchasing necessities. On the other side, prices would go up since establishments need to make more money to pay these workers. But inflation increases naturally so sooner or later, this increase would need to happen. Please, have a heart, think about the future generations, and vote YES on Prop 32.
Isaac Pooler, Turlock
Wage increase will hurt small business
Dear Editor,
It is honestly astonishing to me why people are still even considering voting yes on Proposition 32. Changing the minimum wage from $16/h to $18/h will only cause problem after problem for our economic state. Not only will the average person suffer from the rise of prices due to the raise in pay, but also small businesses will. Changing the minimum wage will cause small businesses to be less likely to make profits as they will barely be able to afford to pay their own workers.
Bigger companies have already raised the minimum wage to match the raise in prices, which is something plausible for them to do, unlike these smaller businesses. This proposition is so outdated and should not even be considered. Instead of focusing on making our economy better, we are thinking of ways to make it worse. So vote no to Prop. 32
Thalia Serrato, Keyes
Cost of living outpaces minimum wage
Dear Editor,
People can barely afford their mortgage, rent, insurance, etc., with the current minimum wage! We must pass Prop. 32 and increase the minimum wage from $16 per hour to $18 per hour. You may be asking, “Isn’t it unfair for the employer to have to pay their workers more?” Let’s look at it from a workers’ point of view, though. The average cost of living in California is $53,082 annually. Now, let’s do some math. The average weekly salary of a minimum wage employee working full time is $600. The average cost of living in California is broken down to roughly $1,000 a week. That’s a whole $400 more needed just to live in California! That would average approximately 20 hours of overtime a week just to survive in the state of California. We could help minimum wage employees earn more money by raising the minimum wage to $18 per hour, which would help employers because their workers would be happier and would be willing to do more work.
Logan Ventura, Turlock
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