upper waypoint

Is 'Panera-Gate' a Real Scandal or Politics As Usual?

Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

A sign is posted on the exterior of a Panera Bread restaurant on Nov. 9, 2021 in Novato, Marin County. After going private in 2017 when JAB Holding bought the company for $7.5 billion, Panera bread will go public once again through an initial public offering. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The process of creating laws is under new scrutiny after a political ally of Gov. Gavin Newsom — the owner of the Panera Bread chain — appeared to benefit from an exemption in a new state law taking effect next month that will raise the hourly wages of fast food workers to $20 an hour. 

Finding out exactly how the exemption got into the legislation was complicated after it was revealed that a major labor union required negotiators working on the bill to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Now a Republican lawmaker is trying to ban NDAs in lawmaking. 

Scott talks with Chris Micheli, a registered lobbyist and former general counsel for the California Manufacturers Association, about the use of NDAs in drafting state legislation.

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
How Have Wage Increases Affected Fast Food Workers?UC Berkeley Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Confrontation at Dean’s HomeImpact of California Fast Food Worker Wage Increase Still Too Early to GaugeIt’s a 408 vs. 510 Showdown as San Jose Earthquakes Take on Oakland RootsA Family Fled Ethnic Violence in India. Its Echoes Resonate in the Bay AreaWhy Cities Call This Ballot Measure an “Existential” ThreatCalifornia Groundwater Surges After Torrential Rain and SnowstormsSouth Bay’s VTA Says It Can’t Back Regional Transit Tax MeasureBerkeley Passes Legal Protections for Polyamory, Joining OaklandBerkeley Schools Chief Set to Testify at Congressional Hearing on Antisemitism