Southern California fast-food jobs at record high for 3rd straight month

Staffing at Southern California’s fast-food restaurants continues to rise to record heights but job growth is cooling as the industry’s biggest players digest a $20-an-hour minimum wage mandate.

California fast food has been thrust into a grand economic experiment in which larger quick-serve chains, beginning April 1, must pay workers at least $4 an hour more than the state’s $16 wage floor. Industry leaders say the wage hike will hurt restaurant operators, forcing them to trim staff or hours worked, while boosting menu prices.