DOUGHN’T BELIEVE IT

Newsom Slams ‘Absurd’ Claim That Bread Exemption Helped Donor

The California governor was accused of making an exemption to the state’s new minimum wage that would benefit one of his donors.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom refuted allegations by Bloomberg News that he pushed for an exemption to the state’s new minimum wage law that benefited a donor with significant interests in the company. Bloomberg reported that billionaire and CEO Greg Flynn, who has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into Newsom’s campaigns and counts Panera among his many restaurant holdings, lobbied the governor’s key aides “to reconsider whether fast-casual chains such as Panera should be classified as fast food.” The new law—which raises fast food workers’ minimum wage to $20—includes a befuddling condition that exempts all fast food restaurants that sell bread as a separate item or function as a bakery from the wage hike. Yet a spokesperson for Newsom vehemently denied both the claim that Panera was exempt from the law and that the bakery provision was influenced by the governor’s donor. “The governor never met with Flynn about this bill and this story is absurd,” spokesman Alex Stack said. “Our legal team has reviewed and it appears Panera is not exempt from the law.”