Law

In November 2005, hotel employees in the city of Emeryville, California got some good news. Local voters had passed a “living wage” law requiring hotels to pay workers a minimum of nine dollars per hour plus extra for certain duties. In an expensive town--Emeryville occupies a narrow peninsula in the San Francisco Bay, making it attractive to tourists--this was welcome news. As the months went by, however, employees at one hotel, the Woodfin Suites, found that they were still being paid less than the law required. In… more

As a California-based Fellow at the New America Foundation, T.A. Frank writes about law, criminal justice, and labor. With a robust technology sector, busy ports, and a changing economy, California is faced with new sorts of crime, such as terrorism, cybercrime, and financial fraud. Mr. Frank will explore issues such… more