
California expected to increase minimum wage to $15.50 per hour
CNN
California's minimum wage is expected to increase to $15.50 per hour next January because a state provision regarding inflation was triggered, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said Thursday.
Newsom's office indicated in a release that the state's minimum wage law requires an accelerated increase when inflation goes beyond 7%. The Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods and services, was up 8.3% in the 12 months ended in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in persistent supply chain disruptions and labor market frictions have driven inflation to its highest rate in 40 years," the release said. "These conditions have further been exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine."

The governments of Mexico and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to fund and expedite several wastewater treatment projects in the Tijuana River basin. Untreated wastewater continually affects residents living along the river, which flows across the border from Tijuana and through several of San Diego’s southern neighborhoods.