That is true is most of the country. However, California is different. In California, tipped employees earn minimum wage plus their tips. Under California law (different from the federal law) the tips belong to the employees, and employer cannot use tips to offset the employer's own obligation to pay the minimum wage.
As of January 1, 2017, for employers with more than 25 employees, the California minimum wage increased to $10.50 an hour. That includes tipped employees.
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm
This article refers specifically to employees in the city of San Diego. The minimum wage in that city is higher still, $11.50 an hour, due to a ballet initiative that passed in June 2016.
At the same time, anyone entering a restaurant knows that tipping for good service is part of the social, contract.
Only a cantankerous antisocial liberal type won’t tip.