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"Final Nail to the Coffin": Chinatown Businesses Struggle Over Oakland's New Minimum Wage
NBC Bay Area ^ | Cheryl Hurd

Posted on 03/17/2015 2:58:05 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Some businesses in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood are feeling the effects from the city's new voter-approved minimum wage. The new $12.25, up from $9, went into effect on March 2 and was approved by 82 percent of voters.

"With this minimum wage kicking in, it's the final nail to the coffin," said Carl Chan, a board member for the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. The new minimum wage forced owner of the Legendary Palace restaurant to close its doors on Feb. 26. Officials said four restaurants and six grocery stores have closed since January.

Many business owners are blaming the 36 percent wage hike, while some said the businesses were already in financial distress. "Business owners are angry," said KC Lam, a business owner. "They can't cope too much."

Lam said he will keep the New Gold Medal restaurant open by being creative -- possibly opening an hour later and closing an hour earlier. Oakland City Councilmember Abel Guillen said it is too early to panic over the new minimum wage.

"It was just implemented two weeks ago," Guillen said. "In the long run it will benefit the entire community."

Worker Danielle Schlamp has not received a check with her new raise on it, but is looking forward to more money in her pocket.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; chinatown; minimumwage; oakland
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To: eyeamok

Home of the $6+ carton of eggs. Most expensive eggs in the world - California’s.

Know why?

It’s because California layers get plush new digs to lay their eggs in. Kid you not.


41 posted on 03/17/2015 3:39:23 PM PDT by RinaseaofDs
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To: RinaseaofDs

That’s the possible impact, but haven’t seen it at the grocery stores yet...they went up a bit, but I haven’t seen $6 a dozen.

Btw, yes, I voted against that lunacy as well...sigh.


42 posted on 03/17/2015 3:41:14 PM PDT by SZonian (Throwing our allegiances to political parties in the long run gave away our liberty.)
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To: nickcarraway

Oh well,
Quit voting for dems.
The stop work party


43 posted on 03/17/2015 3:41:29 PM PDT by Joe Boucher ( Obammy is a lie, a mooselimb and pond scum.)
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To: nickcarraway

Live by Liberalism, Die by Liberalism.


44 posted on 03/17/2015 3:44:03 PM PDT by Fledermaus (The GOP is dead to me! McConnell and Boehner can drop dead!!)
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To: DoughtyOne

Didn’t Moonbeam onetime say that what was needed was not more jobs, but more welfare?


45 posted on 03/17/2015 3:45:30 PM PDT by Fred Hayek (The Democratic Party is now the operational arm of the CPUSA)
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To: Fred Hayek

Emreyville, Moraga and San Leandro are all doing the Happy Dance. F&$# Berkeley.


46 posted on 03/17/2015 3:48:33 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: RinaseaofDs

That’s why we have chickens at my house


47 posted on 03/17/2015 3:50:41 PM PDT by eyeamok
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To: nickcarraway
Worker Danielle Schlamp has not received a check with her new raise on it, but is looking forward to more money in her pocket.

Worker Danielle Schlamp has not received a check since the wage increase as her employer went out of business.

48 posted on 03/17/2015 3:55:45 PM PDT by Lion Den Dan
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To: Jewbacca
Democrats must hate low-skilled workers.

Democrats want to eliminate entry-level jobs so people stay on welfare.

49 posted on 03/17/2015 3:57:13 PM PDT by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: RinaseaofDs

Last week at our local Kroger in Houston suburbs eggs sold under the brand of “Happy Chicken” were $3.96 a dozen. Since I don’t really care whether the chickens who laid the eggs we were going to consume are happy or not, we bought the store brand for $1.93 a dozen. Grandson commented that if some chickens laying the eggs are not happy with their primary job responsibility, maybe they should just go across the road and find another job.


50 posted on 03/17/2015 4:22:10 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: nickcarraway

Oakland. A Marxist shithole that should be nuked from space. Only way to make sure none of them escape to poison another city.


51 posted on 03/17/2015 4:28:35 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper (madmax)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

It was passed by 82 percent of all voters in California. They have at least 30 percent of Conservatives in California so a number of Conservatives voted for this too. Orange County probably the most conservative in the state.


52 posted on 03/17/2015 5:12:02 PM PDT by napscoordinator (Walker for President 2016. The only candidate with actual real RESULTS!!!!! The rest...talkers!)
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To: 21twelve
The wage increase was 26.5 percent.

As the wages increases, the employer pays more Social Security tax, Medicare Tax, workmans comp, unemployment...

The union workers who receive a multiple of the minimum rate; they will now be big spenders at the local restaurants!!!

53 posted on 03/17/2015 5:25:44 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (BINGO!)
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To: nickcarraway
Are they going to discriminate (ahem) against Black people and move to a lower cost area?

What will Black people do when all the businesses close or move.

It's just not fair, government ought to do something about these businesses acting this way.

54 posted on 03/17/2015 5:25:54 PM PDT by blam (Jeff Sessions For President)
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To: eyeamok

We keep hens too. The store could ask $100 a carton and we would still pay $0.


55 posted on 03/17/2015 5:28:13 PM PDT by gcraig (Freedom is not free)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

“The union workers who receive a multiple of the minimum rate...”

Yep. I’ve been saying for awhile that is the REAL driving factor with the minimum wage thing.


56 posted on 03/17/2015 5:28:42 PM PDT by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: gcraig

You don’t pay $0? Don’t you feed these chickens and incur some overhead?


57 posted on 03/17/2015 5:36:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: gcraig
Ybor City (A part of Tampa) has chickens all over the place. Once I opened the door of the lobby my office is at, and a Rooster strolled out of the building.

I heard of free range...but Ybor is very free...

58 posted on 03/17/2015 5:49:00 PM PDT by ExCTCitizen (I'm ExCTCitizen and I approve this reply. If it does offend Libs, I'm NOT sorry...)
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To: napscoordinator

I think this was just the Oakland voters, which makes since because Oakland does not have the best demographics. Of course the Liberals will never admit the law is the problem; they will blame it on the evil, rich and mean spirited business owners not wanting to pay a “living wage”


59 posted on 03/17/2015 5:52:29 PM PDT by martinidon
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To: nickcarraway

There was a Chinatown just south of Downtown Houston. The last vestiges of it died about 5 to 10 years ago and the state took down the highway sign. It had been Houston’s Chinatown, but it was driven out by the rampant Democrat-inspired crime that made Houston a very dangerous city. Things got better, of course, after Republicans started taking power, and putting felons in jail. Concealed Carry was approved about then too.

But the Chinatown never came back - instead it moved West, still mostly in the city, but far away from “the locals”, and now it is absolutely HUGE and unlike San Francisco and NY, you can actually park there. I suspect that pretty much everyone made out well in the end.

We’ll see what happens with this “living wage” crap. Oakland had a nice Chinatown, but I suspect its days are numbered. San Francisco will shrink, but still get the tourists. The REAL QUESTION is whether any city out there can figure out what a GOLD MINE awaits them if they DO NOT get into this living wage crap and otherwise harassing businesses. I am not optimistic though.


60 posted on 03/17/2015 6:05:08 PM PDT by BobL (REPUBLICANS - Fight for the WHITE VOTE...and you will win.)
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