A legal document filed on behalf of California State University was riddled with faulty quotes and other telltale signs of being AI generated, an administrative law judge said this week, prompting Cal State to acknowledge that artificial intelligence had been used to help create the document.
More details: Administrative Law Judge Bernhard Rohrbacher ordered that a CSU legal filing featuring “phantom quotations” from a 1981 court decision be struck from the record of a case pending before the California Public Employment Relations Board.
Why now: The order filed Monday is part of a proceeding pitting the nation’s largest public four-year university system against the CSU Employees Union, which is seeking to represent an estimated 1,400 students serving as resident assistants in college housing around the state.
Read on... for more about the case filing and what the judge said.
A legal document filed on behalf of California State University was riddled with faulty quotes and other telltale signs of being AI generated, an administrative law judge said this week, prompting Cal State to acknowledge that artificial intelligence had been used to help create the document.
Administrative Law Judge Bernhard Rohrbacher ordered that a CSU legal filing featuring “phantom quotations” from a 1981 court decision be struck from the record of a case pending before the California Public Employment Relations Board.
The order filed Monday is part of a proceeding pitting the nation’s largest public four-year university system against the CSU Employees Union, which is seeking to represent an estimated 1,400 students serving as resident assistants in college housing around the state.
Rohrbacher wrote that while “there is no proof that AI was, in fact the author” of a Cal State brief, the document “bears all the hallmarks of the hallucinations associated with AI-generated texts” and contains a series of misquotes Cal State failed to explain.
A Nov. 10 case filing by Cal State said that the mistakes were due to a “failure to double-check correct page numbering” and “erroneously included quotation marks around paraphrasing statements.” But in a written statement on Wednesday, a university system spokesperson acknowledged the brief had been written with AI assistance.
“The CSU is aware that a staff member used artificial intelligence, without conducting due diligence, to assist with creating a brief that resulted in errors undermining the integrity of their work,” said CSU spokesperson Jason Maymon. “This action does not align with the CSU’s ethical and responsible use of AI, and we are taking appropriate steps to address this matter.”
The order comes as Cal State aims to become a leader in integrating generative artificial intelligence into higher education. It could also have implications for the bid to unionize CSU’s resident assistants, who typically receive benefits like free housing and a campus meal plan but no salary in exchange for helping manage more than 67,000 dorm beds at Cal State campuses.
The CSU Employees Union in March moved to absorb resident assistants — whose wide-ranging responsibilities can span everything from organizing dorm socials to responding to student emergencies — into an existing unit of more than 17,000 student workers. Cal State has opposed the effort, saying resident assistants are not employees but “live-in student leaders.”
“If students submit assignments with AI-generated half-truths and fabrications, they face consequences. And yet the CSU is doing exactly what we tell students not to do,” said Catherine Hutchinson, president of the CSU Employees Union, in a written statement. “Resident assistants provide valuable services to their campus communities, so it is shameful that the CSU would waste the time and resources of California’s Public Employment Relations Board in an attempt to quash their right of union representation.”
Maymon said Cal State “is proud to lead the adoption of AI in higher education. But just like every institution that has embraced navigating this new terrain, challenges will surface. This presents an opportunity for the CSU to fine-tune our AI trainings so that our students, faculty, and staff receive the information and professional development to fully leverage the benefits of this new technology.”
Judge called misquote ‘a stretch’
A Nov. 3 brief from Cal State repeatedly quoted from a single federal appellate court decision to support its argument that resident assistants, typically called RAs for short, should not be considered employees. But Rohrbacher, the administrative law judge, said he could not find a series of quotes and page citations in the original decision, which stems from a decades-old lawsuit involving Regis, a private college in Denver.
For example, in passages that purported to quote the court’s decision, the Cal State brief said that the relationship between RAs and their college is “primarily educational rather than economic in nature” and that RAs, therefore, are not employees.
But that statement and several others do not appear in the appellate court decision CSU cited, Marshall v. Regis Educational Corporation. Rohrbacher said the misquote “is certainly a stretch” and undermines Cal State’s argument for citing the Marshall case. California law in 2018 dropped language defining certain students as employees “only if the services they provide are unrelated to their educational objectives” or if educational goals are secondary to such services, Rohrbacher noted.
“It is therefore curious that the University interprets Marshall to imply such a requirement, making that case inapplicable here,” Rohrbacher wrote. “That assumes, of course, that generative AI was not the author.”
In striking the Cal State brief, Rohrbacher stopped short of direct accusations. But the administrative law judge said Cal State had failed to explain its mistakes, writing that regardless of whether AI wrote the brief, “these are not the kind of ‘errors’ or acts indicating a run-of-the-mill ‘lack of diligence’ … that could be ignored.”
Rohrbacher did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment for this story. He previously served as general counsel for the California Faculty Association, according to his LinkedIn profile, the union representing CSU employees, including professors, librarians and coaches.
Vying to be the ‘first and largest AI-empowered university’
Cal State in February announced a $16.9 million deal with OpenAI to purchase enterprise access to ChatGPT, part of a strategy to become “the first and largest AI-empowered university system.” It has also launched a new CSU board that includes state officials and industry representatives from companies like Anthropic and Nvidia. Campuses around the system have recently moved to add a cluster of AI-related degree programs.
While some within CSU have embraced those steps, they have also provoked worries about how the technology will impact the way students learn and professors teach. Critics have also raised concerns about protecting student and faculty data privacy, and the cost of CSU’s investments in artificial intelligence at a time of difficult budget cuts and job losses.
As part of its work on AI, CSU has published guidelines about the ethical use of the technology. Rohrbacher quoted a section in a footnote of the order striking CSU’s brief.
“Content generated by AI can sometimes be inaccurate, deceptive, or completely fabricated, also known as ‘hallucinations,’ and might inadvertently include copyrighted material,” the guidelines read. “It is your responsibility to vet any AI-generated content before dissemination.”
Levi's Stadium will host six 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in San Francisco.
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Topline:
Sky-high prices for some matches and ongoing controversy over FIFA’s seating practices may push some fans to buy their tickets from unverified vendors. Officials are warning that doing so could increase scams.
Why now: The World Cup’s own governing body, FIFA, has drawn scrutiny from California state officials over changes to its ticketing system — following reports from ticketholders who say they have been assigned seats in a different category than advertised when they bought their tickets through FIFA’s own online portal.
What officials say: “We have laws in California against misleading or deceptive business practices,” said state Attorney General Rob Bonta, who sent a letter to FIFA last week requesting a list of ticket buyers who were assigned seats in a lower category than what they purchased. “We want to learn more from FIFA in order to assess whether what was done was lawful or not.”
What are some of the tips: Scammers often promise you “a better deal” if you make the payment using instant payment sites like Zelle, Venmo and Cash App. But fraudsters aren’t trying to save you money with this suggestion: They’re trying to make it easier for themselves to keep your money.
Read on... for more ways experts say can save you and your wallet.
With less than a month before the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off, soccer fans are scrambling to grab the last remaining tickets.
At the time of publication, there are still some tickets available for the six World Cup games hosted at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
But while the Bay Area hasn’t yet experienced the kind of ticket frenzy seen in other World Cup host cities, prices are still out of reach for many fans — raising concerns about how fans looking for a bargain could fall prey to scams falsely promising far cheaper tickets.
And most recently, the World Cup’s own governing body, FIFA, has drawn scrutiny from California state officials over changes to its ticketing system — following reports from ticketholders who say they have been assigned seats in a different category than advertised when they bought their tickets through FIFA’s own online portal.
“We have laws in California against misleading or deceptive business practices,” said state Attorney General Rob Bonta, who sent a letter to FIFA last week requesting a list of ticket buyers who were assigned seats in a lower category than what they purchased. “We want to learn more from FIFA in order to assess whether what was done was lawful or not.”
Bonta also expressed concern that sky-high prices could deter people from buying a ticket through FIFA’s official website or other verified vendors. Passionate soccer fans, he said, “may go into a site that isn’t as reliable and maybe they get taken advantage of.”
An Adidas FIFA World Cup soccer ball is seen on a FIFA x NFL chair in the Media Center on Feb. 4, 2026 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
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So how can you spot a scam when buying a World Cup ticket, or just make sure you get what you pay for?
Keep reading to learn what officials recommend about buying World Cup tickets online and what to do if you already bought a ticket on the official FIFA site but feel that the seat you were assigned does not match what you originally paid for.
And rest assured: there are still plenty of ways to watch the World Cup in the Bay Area for free — or for a fraction of the cost of a Levi’s Stadium ticket, real or fake.
Remember, if something’s too good to be true …
First off: If you’re feeling confused over what a World Cup ticket actually costs, that’s understandable, Santa Clara County Assistant District Attorney James Gibbons-Shapiro said.
For this World Cup, FIFA adopted a pricing system known as “dynamic pricing,” where the cost of a seat changes based on current demand for that specific game.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup winner’s trophy is seen on stage at the Global Citizen NOW event in New York City on May 14, 2026.
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Scammers often promise you “a better deal” if you make the payment using instant payment sites like Zelle, Venmo and Cash App. But fraudsters aren’t trying to save you money with this suggestion: They’re trying to make it easier for themselves to keep your money.
Talking to strangers on a resale or payments site that’s not verified puts you at greater risk of getting ripped off, Gibbons-Shapiro said. “The criminal is simply looking for someone desperate enough to go to the World Cup that they’re willing to send a lot of money right away to a total stranger,” he said.
In other words, he said: “It’s not that the country that you are supporting is going to lose — it’s going to be you that loses.”
How do I know if the World Cup tickets I’m being offered are real?
Scammers have become incredibly good at printing fake tickets that look highly realistic, Gibbons-Shapiro said. So much so, he said, that when sports fans ask him for advice on how to spot a fake ticket, he tells them that he doesn’t have any tips that reliably work — that’s how identical the scam tickets can physically appear.
The real pro tip here, Gibbons-Shapiro said, is “don’t go to the stadium to try to buy a ticket there.”
“Because the great likelihood is that you’re buying a fake ticket,” he said. “You’re not gonna be able to get in, and you’re going to lose all your money.”
Scalpers are actually not permitted on stadium grounds — and reselling tickets near the stadium is a misdemeanor crime in California.
That’s why it’s important to buy your ticket on a third-party ticket resale site that will deliver the ticket directly to you.
Footballs and jerseys are displayed during the opening day of the official 2026 FIFA World Cup merchandising store in Miami Beach, Florida, on May 18, 2026
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Platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Marketplace usually will not verify if what’s being offered is what’s actually sold.
And even if you’re using reliable third-party sites like SeatGeek or TicketMaster, check the reseller’s refund policy to see whether they offer a guarantee regarding the authenticity and timely arrival of the tickets.
I just got scammed buying a fake World Cup ticket. What can I do?
First of all, make sure to document all your communication with the person who promised to sell you a ticket — and take screenshots of those messages in case they attempt to delete anything from their end of the conversation.
If you were scammed online or over the phone:
You can then report the situation to your local police department, as the city where you live is defined as where the crime took place.
If you bought the fake ticket in person from a scalper:
Contact the police department of the city where the transaction took place. “If that happened right outside the stadium, that would be Santa Clara Police Department,” Gibbons-Shapiro said.
Gibbons-Shapiro said his office is ready to prosecute anyone who tricks others into buying fake World Cup tickets, adding that he would consider that to be a felony.
“We have robust teams for consumer protection and theft enforcement,” he said. “We’re going to prosecute the scammers.”
I bought a ticket on the FIFA website, and I think I got seated in a different place than what I paid for.
If you bought your ticket from the online FIFA purchasing portal during the initial sales phase last October, Attorney General Bonta recommends that you keep a record of everything from that purchase. This could include, he said, “images of the map they were shown and the original receipt for the ticket that they purchased and what it says, and the existing ticket that they have.”
Bonta told KQED his office is still investigating what happened during this initial ticketing phase and hopes that FIFA provides the information he has requested by the May 29 deadline. “And if they don’t, we can ratchet up the level of severity here,” he said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (
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“It’s not something that we want to do, but we always have an ability to send civil investigative demands or subpoenas,” Bonta said.
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment from KQED. However, the organization has told other media outlets that the initial maps consumers saw last year were meant to “provide guidance rather than the exact seat layout,” and seating arrangements could be subject to change — as happened when the organization introduced new seating categories in later phases of ticket sales.
But that could potentially be in violation of California law, Bonta said.
“The law in California is that businesses and organizations cannot justify misleading practices by pointing to the fine print or other terms that an everyday reasonable consumer would not have seen or understood,” he said. “If you’re told something, then you’re entitled to rely on the representation and to trust what you were told.”
The attorney general’s office could seek some civil penalty if its investigation concludes that the rights of California consumers were indeed violated, Bonta said. “Then we could help those individuals get the ticket that they actually purchased, not the one that they received after they were misled.”
A veteran pays tribute to the Mexican American All Wars Memorial at Cinco Puntos during a Memorial Day commemoration in 2016.
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Topline:
The Memorial Day tribute at the Mexican American All Wars Memorial at the five-point intersection connecting Boyle Heights and East LA returns Monday for its 80th year.
The details: The 80th Memorial Day ceremony at the Mexican-American All Wars Memorial in Boyle Heights at 3300 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Speakers: Elected officials, including LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Senator Maria Elena Durazo and Council District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, are set to give remarks. LA Mayor Karen Bass is also expected to attend. The event kicks off with a 24-hour vigil starting at 10 a.m. Sunday, when veterans will stand guard through the night ahead of Monday’s annual event.
At the five-point intersection connecting Boyle Heights and East LA, one Memorial Day tradition has brought the communities together for 80 years.
The Memorial Day tribute at the Mexican American All Wars Memorial returns Monday, giving veterans and their families a space to honor service members of Mexican descent who died in war.
The event kicks off with a 24-hour vigil starting at 10 a.m. Sunday, when veterans will stand guard through the night ahead of Monday’s annual event.
“Memorial Day in Boyle Heights and East LA is way different than any other memorial or ceremony because there were a lot of men and women who went to World War II and Vietnam from this area,” said Joe Diaz, a co-organizer for the event.
Elected officials, including LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Senator Maria Elena Durazo and Council District 14 Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, are set to give remarks. LA Mayor Karen Bass is also expected to attend.
LAPD officer and military veteran Kioni Smith is set to be the keynote speaker. A flyover from the Los Angeles Police Department Air Support Division and a colorguard performance are also scheduled.
Cinco Puntos was the starting location of the first Chicano Moratorium, a march in protest of the Vietnam War on December 20, 1969, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. The war memorial pays tribute to the strong presence of the veteran community on the Eastside, the L.A. Conservancy adds.
Event Details:
The 80th Memorial Day ceremony at the Mexican-American All Wars Memorial in Boyle Heights.
Location: 3300 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue
Time: 10 to 11 a.m.
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Yoko Ono gets her first solo museum show at the Broad.
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In this edition:
Yoko Ono at the Broad, Flower Drum Song at East West Players, Scott Galloway on the markets and more of the best things to do this week.
Highlights:
At 93, Yoko Ono finally gets her first L.A. solo show, one that explores the artist’s once-in-a-generation take on protest, peace, humanity and feminism. It’s all done with heart and humor, making the show extremely accessible for visitors of all ages.
Scott Galloway and Ed Elson’s popular Prof G Markets podcast comes to the Wiltern for a live taping this week. Expect special guests and some real talk about where the markets are, how the news influences them and what it means for you and your money.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song gets a fresh look from East West Players at this world premiere show featuring a cast entirely of Asian descent and a rewrite from Tony winner David Henry Hwang.
The band Lucius donned Lennon sunglasses and flowy black frocks, slipping unnoticed through the crowd as they made their way to the stage to perform at the opening of the new Broad exhibit Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind. The sound of dressed-up visitors hammering at the Painting to Hammer a Nail installation could be heard as you walked in, and a woman in a “John Lennon Broke up Fluxus” t-shirt reminded us that it’s past time to define Ono as a singular force. I love L.A.
There will be more music events at the Broad celebrating the exhibit (on through October) throughout the summer; for now, Licorice Pizza has your music picks for this week. Tuesday, rising UK pop star Rose Gray is at Pacific Electric, Skylar Grey is at the Grammy Museum, Ty Segall plays Venice West, and Australian folk-rockers the Paper Kites are at the Wiltern.
Wednesday, Argentina’s Los Fabulosos Cadillacs plays the Peacock Theater, Spanish singer-songwriter Leire plays the Belasco, and Ivy — the reunited indie-pop band Ivy founded by the late, great Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) — plays the Teragram. Irish indie-folk artist Dove Ellis also plays the first of his two nights at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Gen Xers will delight in Thursday’s lineup, as Digital Underground brings the Humpty Dance to the Regent and Fun Lovin’ Criminals plays the Troubadour. Plus, It’s A School Night! is on at its new location, the Airliner.
Elsewhere on LAist, you can find out how to hop on the beach bus this summer, eat the best British food in L.A. according to our resident Brit, Suzanne Levy, and yes, make your Voter Game Plan for the June 2 election.
Events
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
Through Oct. 11 The Broad 221 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. COST: $21, FREE THURSDAYS 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Broad
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At 93, Yoko Ono finally gets her first L.A. solo show, one that explores the artist’s once-in-a-generation take on protest, peace, humanity and feminism. It’s all done with heart and humor, making the show extremely accessible for visitors of all ages. There are numerous interactive elements (like drawing in blue on the walls for Just Blue Like the Ocean, tracing a shadow for Shadow Piece, playing chess on an all-white board for Play It By Trust, or stepping into a black bag for Bag Piece) and video installations. Plus, there are moments from her entire life and practice, from her early years in Japan, through the Beatles era, and her impactful work in the decades since. Her instructions for art are instructions for life; my instruction to you is: Go see this show.
Gary Baseman's Off the Menu: Dining and Drawing in LA
Thursdays through Sundays, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. until June 14 Johnnie’s Coffee Shop 6101 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Baseman's Genghis Cohen menu drawing.
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Courtesy Gary Baseman Studio
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You don’t have to remind us that L.A. is one of the top food cities in the world — and always has been. Artist Gary Baseman takes it to the next level with an exhibit at Johnie’s Coffee Shop, featuring menus from historic L.A. restaurants that he’s drawn on over the years. Robert Garrova paid a visit to the show for LAist when it opened; check the site for hours before you head out, as they vary.
Jelly Dreamscapes
Ongoing Aquarium of the Pacific 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach COST: $44.95; MORE INFO
You can see the blue lion's mane jelly at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
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Josh Barber
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Aquarium of the Pacific
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Jellyfish are mesmerizing, with their look-but-don’t-touch gentleness and mysteriousness in the open sea. The Aquarium of the Pacific just opened Jelly Dreamscapes, a new immersive exhibition featuring one of the most diverse collections of sea jellies in the country.
Miles Davis birthday celebration
Tuesday, May 26, 8 p.m. 2220 Arts + Archives 2220 Beverly Blvd., Westlake COST: FROM $28.66; MORE INFO
Miles Davis would be 100 this year.
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You won’t feel kind of blue at the Miles Davis birthday bash at 2220 Arts + Archives. The jazz master would be 100 this week, and a full lineup of “eclectic, electric” local artists are ready to celebrate. Focused on Davis’s "Big Fun" period, the event features DJs, video projections and more — in addition to all the jazz, of course.
Prof G Markets with Scott Galloway and Ed Elson
Thursday, May 28, 7:30 p.m. The Wiltern 3790 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown COST: FROM $40; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Vox Media
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Scott Galloway and Ed Elson’s popular Prof G Markets podcast comes to the Wiltern for a live taping this week. Expect special guests and some real talk about where the markets are, how the news influences them and what it means for you and your money.
Flower Drum Song
Through Sunday, May 31 East West Players 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Little Tokyo COST: FROM $25; MORE INFO
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song gets a fresh look from East West Players at this world premiere show, featuring a cast entirely of Asian descent and a rewrite from Tony winner David Henry Hwang. Hwang first adapted Flower Drum Song at the Taper back in 2001 and is revisiting it in this new version, which aims to reclaim stereotypes set forth in the original and enliven the story about Chinese immigrants in 1950s San Francisco for a modern audience.
Bernstein’s Wall
Through Thursday, May 28 Laemmle Theaters COST: $14.50; MORE INFO
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Courtesy 4th Row Films
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A new documentary directed by Douglas Tirola (Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon) explores the life and work of conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Using his 1989 Christmas Day concert in Berlin as a framework, the film explores his life through interviews, news footage, home movies, audio clips and personal letters. It’s on at the Laemmle Royal, Glendale and Town Center 5.
A McDonald's restaurant in Mount Lebanon, Pa., is pictured in 2021.
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Topline:
California’s first-in-the-nation fast food council — created to give workers a voice on wages, safety and working conditions — has not met in over a year and has no chairperson.
Background: The council was created as part of a 2023 compromise that also set a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. It has the power to set standards on wages, health, safety and working conditions — and to raise the minimum wage annually for hundreds of thousands of fast food workers at chains with 60 or more locations nationwide.
What's the latest? On April 16, marking about two years since the council’s first meeting, workers delivered a 96-page book to the governor’s office, describing more than 100 complaints filed with CalOSHA, the state labor department and different city agencies since the council’s formation, alleging wage theft and poor working conditions.
Read on ... for more on what fast food workers are hoping Gov. Gavin Newsom can do.
California’s first-in-the-nation fast food council — created to give workers a voice on wages, safety and working conditions — has not met in over a year and has no chairperson.
Now the workers the council was built to protect, organized by the Service Employees International Union, are taking their concerns directly to the state, demanding that Gov. Gavin Newsom appoint a chairperson so the council can do its work, as required by law.
Luna Mondragon, who works at a Carl’s Jr. in Milpitas, told CalMatters through a translator that she started out as a cook but has done many other duties in her five years there. After she joined the fast food workers union, she said she began speaking up, especially when she started to experience aches and pains from her job. Since then, she said she has been retaliated against, including with fewer shifts.
“If we don’t have our health we can’t accomplish anything,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “It’s so important for them to appoint a chair. We need the council.”
The council was created as part of a 2023 compromise that also set a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. It has the power to set standards on wages, health, safety and working conditions — and to raise the minimum wage annually for hundreds of thousands of fast food workers at chains with 60 or more locations nationwide.
The council — composed of four members representing the businesses, four members representing labor and a chairperson who’s an “unaffiliated” member of the public — must, under state law, hold at least two meetings a year, though the law does not specify who should enforce this provision.
The council only held those meetings in 2024; last year it held two subcommittee meetings, the latest in February 2025. Shortly after, the council’s chairperson, Nick Hardeman, resigned when Newsom appointed him to a different state position. When reached by CalMatters, Hardeman said he did not want to speak on the record about a council he has not chaired in a while.
In 2022, the Legislature raised fast food workers’ minimum wage to $22 an hour. The industry fought back, gathering signatures to repeal the law. Workers across the state went on strike. In late 2023, the SEIU and the industry reached a last-minute compromise: Workers dropped a ballot fight in exchange for a $20 minimum wage and the establishment of the council. The SEIU-affiliated California Fast Food Workers Union launched the following year — lacking the collective bargaining rights of a traditional union but acting as an advocacy and membership group for workers.
Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for the governor, would not answer questions about the council, instead referring CalMatters to the state’s Labor & Workforce Development Agency. Crystal Young, a spokesperson for the agency, confirmed that there is no chairperson and the council’s meetings are on hold. The council’s four-person staff continues to respond to inquiries and prepare for future meetings, she said.
On April 16, marking about two years since the council’s first meeting, workers delivered a 96-page book to the governor’s office, describing more than 100 complaints filed with CalOSHA, the state labor department and different city agencies since the council’s formation, alleging wage theft and poor working conditions. The union estimates there are about 630,000 fast food workers in the state, about 75% of whom are people of color and 20% of whom are immigrants.
“Employers feel newly empowered to threaten us with calling ICE when we ask questions about paid sick leave or [workers’ compensation] or report health and safety hazards,” Angelica Hernandez, a McDonald’s worker who is a member of the fast food council, said in the book.
Rich Reinis, a member of the council who represents employers and is a former franchise owner, said he has no knowledge of when meetings will resume and is waiting. In his view, the council should have been discussing “fire and ICE.” The phrase refers to the effects of last year’s L.A. County fires on the fast food industry and its workers, some of whom lost their homes, and what businesses and workers need to know about immigration enforcement.
Reinis also wants the council to order a study of the wage increase’s effects on prices and employment. Competing studies by UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz have reached opposite conclusions, and the question of affordability remains unresolved, he said.
A Los Angeles Times columnist who analyzed the competing studies concluded the debate over the wage's effects is likely to continue. Hernandez, the councilmember, rejected the industry's claims the wage increase has hurt business. “The sky didn’t fall on the California fast food industry,” she said.
The council is also required to submit a performance review to the Legislature every three years — a deadline approaching without a single full meeting in the past year. Before he resigned, Hardeman, the former chairperson, said it was hard for the council to reach decisions.
“The staff will have to write a report without having any meetings,” Reinis said. “How the hell are we supposed to do that?”
Chris Holden, the former California assemblymember who authored the law that raised the workers’ wages and created the council, told CalMatters the council was “groundbreaking” and “needs to address the challenges that were the genesis of the council in the first place.” He said he hopes the governor is doing his due diligence to identify a new chairperson.
“I want to tell [the governor] to finish the job he started,” Julieta Garcia, a cook at a Pizza Hut in Los Angeles, told CalMatters through a translator. “Leave a good legacy for this generation and the future generation, so you can be recognized as a leader who gave fast food workers a chance.”
Young, the Labor & Workforce Development Agency spokesperson who was speaking on the governor’s behalf, confirmed that Newsom’s office received the workers’ book.
The governor's office has not said when — or whether — Newsom plans to appoint a chairperson to the council.
