October 18, 2013

Low-wage fast-food jobs leave hefty tax bill, report says

Researchers report hefty taxpayer costs for public assistance to help low-wage workers in the fast-food industry. (iStock photo)

By Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations | October 15, 2013

BERKELEY —The fast-food industry costs American taxpayers nearly $7 billion annually because its jobs pay so little that 52 percent of fast-food workers are forced to enroll their families in public assistance programs, according to a report released today (Tuesday, Oct. 15) by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley. [Read more…]

November 10, 2011

Where The Buffalo Roamed ~ How Far Can You Get From McDonald's?

This summer, cruising down the I-5 through California’s Central Valley to the Los Angeles Basin, I unwittingly stumbled upon a most exasperating development: the country strip mall. First, let me state that I don’t hate. I’ve got nothing against Petco, Starbucks, OfficeMax, et al. When overcome by the desire for a cubic yard of kitty litter, a carafe of pre-Columbian frappasmoochino, or fifty gross of pink highlighter pens, I’m there in a jiffy!

But, Mr. Real Estate Tycoon, did you have to plop your shopping center smack dab in the middle of what was previously nowhere? [Read more…]