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LIVERMORE, Calif. Most fast food workers in California will be paid at least $20 an hour beginning Monday when a new law is scheduled to kick in giving more financial security to an historically low-paying profession while threatening to raise prices in a state already known for its high cost of living.

Democrats in the state Legislature passed the law last year in part as an acknowledgement that many of the more than 500,000 people who work in fast food restaurants are not teenagers earning some spending money, but adults working to support their families.

That includes immigrants like Ingrid Vilorio, who said she started working at a McDonald’s shortly after arriving in the United States in 2019.

Fast food was her full-time job until last year. Now, she works about eight hours per week at a Jack in the Box while working other jobs.

The $20 raise is great. I wish this would have come sooner, Vilorio said through a translator. Because I would not have been looking for so many other jobs in different places.

The law was supported by the trade association representing fast food franchise owners.

But since it passed, many franchise owners have bemoaned the impact the law is having on them, especially during California’sslowing economy.

Alex Johnson owns 10 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Cinnabon restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. He said sales have slowed in 2024, prompting him to lay off his office staff and rely on his parents to help with payroll and human resources.

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Increasing his employees’ wages will cost Johnson about $470,000 each year.

He will have to raise prices anywhere from 5% to 15% at his stores, and is no longer hiring or seeking to open new locations in California, he said.

I try to do right by my employees. I pay them as much as I can. But this law is really hitting our operations hard, Johnson said.

I have to consider selling and even closing my business, he said. The profit margin has become too slim when you factor in all the other expenses that are also going up.

Over the past decade, California has doubled its minimum wage for most workers to $16 per hour.

A big concern over that time was whether the increase would cause some workers to lose their jobs as employers’ expenses increased.

Instead, data showed wages went up and employment did not fall, said Michael Reich, a labor economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley.

I was surprised at how little, or how difficult it was to find disemployment effects. If anything, we find positive employment effects, Reich said.

Plus, Reich said while the statewide minimum wage is $16 per hour, many of the state’s larger cities have their own minimum wage laws setting the rate higher than that.

For many fast food restaurants, this means the jump to $20 per hour will be smaller.

The law reflected a carefully crafted compromise between the fast food industry and labor unions, which had been fighting over wages, benefits and legal liabilities for close to two years.

The law originated during private negotiations between unions and the industry, including the unusual step ofsigning confidentiality agreements.

The law applies to restaurants offering limited or no table service and which are part of a national chain with at least 60 establishments nationwide.

Restaurants operating inside a grocery establishment are exempt, as are restaurants producing and selling bread as a stand-alone menu item.

At first, it appeared the bread exemption applied to Panera Bread restaurants. Bloomberg News reported the change would benefit Greg Flynn, a wealthy campaign donor to Newsom.

But the Newsom administration said the wage increase law does apply to Panera Bread because the restaurant does not make dough on-site.

Also, Flynn has announced he wouldpay his workers at least $20 per hour.

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Technology

Judge finalizes remedies in Google antitrust case

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Judge finalizes remedies in Google antitrust case

The logo for Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021.

Andrew Kelly | Reuters

A U.S. judge on Friday finalized his decision for the consequences Google will face for its search monopoly ruling, adding new details to the decided remedies.

Last year, Google was found to hold an illegal monopoly in its core market of internet search, and in September, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled against the most severe consequences that were proposed by the Department of Justice.

That included the proposal of a forced sale of Google’s Chrome browser, which provides data that helps the company’s advertising business deliver targeted ads. Alphabet shares popped 8% in extended trading as investors celebrated what they viewed as minimal consequences from a historic defeat last year in the landmark antitrust case.

Investors largely shrugged off the ruling as non-impactful to Google. However some told CNBC it’s still a bite that could “sting.”

Mehta on Friday issued additional details for his ruling in new filings.

“The age-old saying ‘the devil is in the details’ may not have been devised with the drafting of an antitrust remedies judgment in mind, but it sure does fit,” Mehta wrote in one of the Friday filings.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has previously said it will appeal the remedies.

In August 2024, Mehta ruled that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act and held a monopoly in search and related advertising. The antitrust trial started in September 2023.

In his September decision, Mehta said the company would be able to make payments to preload products, but it could not have exclusive contracts that condition payments or licensing. Google was also ordered to loosen its hold on search data. Mehta in September also ruled that Google would have to make available certain search index data and user interaction data, though “not ads data.”

The DOJ had asked Google to stop the practice of “compelled syndication,” which refers to the practice of making certain deals with companies to ensure its search engine remains the default choice in browsers and smartphones.

The judge’s September ruling didn’t end the practice entirely — Mehta ruled out that Google couldn’t enter into exclusive deals, which was a win for the company. Google pays Apple billions of dollars per year to be the default search engine on iPhones. It’s lucrative for Apple and a valuable way for Google to get more search volume and users.

Mehta’s new details

In the Friday filings, Mehta wrote that Google cannot enter into any deal like the one it’s had with Apple “unless the agreement terminates no more than one year after the date it is entered.”

This includes deals involving generative artificial intelligence products, including any “application, software, service, feature, tool, functionality, or product” that involve or use genAI or large-language models, Mehta wrote.

GenAI “plays a significant role in these remedies,” Mehta wrote.

The judge also reiterated the web index data it will require Google to share with certain competitors. 

Google has to share some of the raw search interaction data it uses to train its ranking and AI systems, but it does not have to share the actual algorithms — just the data that feeds them.” In September, Mehta said those data sets represent a “small fraction” of Google’s overall traffic, but argued the company’s models are trained on data that contributed to Google’s edge over competitors.

The company must make this data available to qualified competitors at least twice, one of the Friday filing states. Google must share that data in a “syndication license” model whose term will be five years from the date the license is signed, the filing states.

Mehta on Friday also included requirements on the makeup of a technical committee that will determine the firms Google must share its data with.

Committee “members shall be experts in some combination of software engineering, information retrieval, artificial intelligence, economics, behavioral science, and data privacy and data security,” the filing states.

The judge went on to say that no committee member can have a conflict of interest, such as having worked for Google or any of its competitors in the six months prior to or one year after serving in the role.

Google is also required to appoint an internal compliance officer that will be responsible “for administering Google’s antitrust compliance program and helping to ensure compliance with this Final Judgment,” per one of the filings. The company must also appoint a senior business executive “whom Google shall make available to update the Court on Google’s compliance at regular status conferences or as otherwise ordered.”

This is breaking news. Check back for updates.

WATCH: Judge Issues final remedies in Google antitrust case

Judge Issues final remedies in Google antitrust case

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Environment

Kia is still offering over $10,000 off its entire EV lineup

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Kia is still offering over ,000 off its entire EV lineup

Kia is extending one of its biggest promotions yet, knocking over $10,000 off every EV in its lineup.

Kia knocks $10,000 off EV models

Who said electric vehicles would get more expensive after the $7,500 federal tax credit ended? Kia must not have gotten the memo.

Last month, Kia launched a new promotion, offering a $10,000 customer cash discount for all EVs, including the EV6, EV9, and Niro EV. The discount knocks nearly 25% off MSRP on Kia’s cheapest model, the Niro EV. On the entry-level EV6, it’s 23% off MSRP, while $10,000 off the EV9 is about an 18% discount.

The discounts ended on December 1, but Kia has extended them for at least another month. During its Season of New Tradition sales event, Kia is now offering even more savings.

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The 2025 Kia EV6 and Niro EV are now eligible for up to $11,000 in customer cash, including a $10,000 cash back offer and a $1,000 retail bonus cash discount.

Kia-EV-$10,000-off
2025 Kia EV6 (Source: Kia)

If you’re looking for something a little bigger, the 2026 EV9, Kia’s three-row electric SUV, is available with up to $10,500 in bonus cash.

If you choose to finance, Kia is offering 0% APR for up to 72 months, plus $3,500 APR Bonus Cash on the EV6 and Niro EV. The larger EV9 is available with 0% APR for up to 60 months with a $3,000 APR Bonus Cash offer.

Kia-another-EV-US
The 2026 Kia EV9 (Source: Kia)

The 2025 Kia Niro EV and EV6 are available to lease, starting at $209 and $309 per month for 24 months. The 2026 EV9 is listed with monthly leases starting at $419.

The new sales event comes after Hyundai extended its EV promotions, keeping the IONIQ 5 as one of the most affordable EV leases in the US, starting at just $189 per month.

Kia’s Seasons of New Traditions sales event runs until January 2, 2026. Some deals may vary by region. You can see offers near you by using the links at the bottom.

Interested in test-driving one for yourself? We can help see what’s available in your area. Check out our links below to find Kia and Hyundai EVs near you.

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Environment

New Holland C314 mini track loader gets the full electric treatment

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New Holland C314 mini track loader gets the full electric treatment

New Holland’s already excellent C314 mini track loader is even better for 2026 thanks to the debut of a new, all electric version that offers quiet, low maintenance, and emission-free running for round-the-clock operation.

State and federal governments may still be hashing out emissions laws and ZEV requirements, but it’s the municipal governments that write quiet our laws and noise ordinances, and it’s those laws that construction crews are struggling to work around as they bid for lucrative urban jobs. New Holland understands those construction customers’ needs, and its new C314X Electric mini track loader (announced at last month’s Agritechnica) is designed specifically for them.

“We launched the C314 two years ago, and it has become known for its excellent features,” says Francesca Asteggiano, Europe Construction Brands. “Today, we’re developing an electric version to meet growing demand for quieter, more compact machines — reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

C314X Electric


New Holland’s C314X Electric is designed and built in-house as the zero-emission evolution of the diesel-powered C314, and is powered by a 23.5 kWh li-ion battery that sends power to three electric motors — two drive motors and a single hydraulic motor for the boom.

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The company says the new C314X has a rated operating capacity that matches the diesel unit at 460 kg (~1014 lbs.) and a hinge pin height of 2.2 m (~7.2 ft.).

Though still “just a prototype” at this point, CASE and New Holland products have a history of making it to production. If when it does, company reps say it will be available in two undercarriage configurations, a “narrow track” version 890 mm wide that can fit through garden gates and man doors, and wide track version 1026 mm wide for heavier duty outdoor and agricultural work.

The stand-on machine uses controls that will be familiar to any mini loader operator — especially those with experience behind the controls of the diesel C314 — and all the implements and attachments that work on the diesel version bolt up to the C314X Electric, making it ideal (the company says) for livestock and horticultural farmers, landscape contractors and residential construction operations, thanks to multiple compatible attachments to ensure full versatility to dig, load, drill, and more.

Stay tuned for pricing and availability, likely set to be announced during ConExpo 2026.

SOURCE | IMAGES: New Holland.


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