California promised a higher minimum wage for health care workers. Will Newsom delay it?

By Ryan Sabalow (CALMATTERS) – Gov. Gavin Newsom is cutting it close. He signed a law last fall that phases in a $25 minimum wage for California’s lowest-paid health care workers. Just two months later, he said he wanted to delay it because of its potential to exacerbate the severe state budget shortfall. But two weeks before the deadline for employers to start paying more to their employees, many health workers are still waiting to hear whether they will in fact see a raise on June 1. Some health workers remain hopeful. Others have already been notified by their employers of their upcoming raise or have already started to see increased pay. When Newsom presented his latest budget proposal last week, the governor said negotiations around potential changes to the health worker minimum wage law, Senate Bill 525, are still taking place. He promised a deal between his administration, the Legislature and proponents of the law would be hashed out in the upcoming weeks. “This budget will not be signed without that deal that we committed to being addressed,” Newsom said. He usually signs a budget for the next fiscal year in late June. Meanwhile the union that advocated for...