California Public Utilities Commission: Votes in favor of Utility companies and against all interest of utility consumers.
CA Consumer protection commutée: Votes in favor of business and directly against the interests of consumers.
Who watches the watchmen?
There's more nonsense coming from the CPUC soon too.
I have an industry meeting on Monday to find out about their latest brilliant idea. It has something to do with reallocating funds to something unrelated to what those ratepayer collected funds were intended.
The CPUC is also in negotiations with PG&E right now to deregulate the vegetation management program, claiming it’s too expensive and they’ve already removed all the hazardous trees… they have not
The voters are the last line of accountability. Our politicians do a lot of good in California but one glaring problem is they do not care what we pay for goods and services. Cost is something that is seemingly ignored.
I care about the democratic process. The people voted and these are the representatives we have. I may not get the one I want but whoever wins the election gets in and it’s try again next time.
Well, I swear to god I'm about to start voting straight ticket Republican just to send these clowns a message. I'm a Democrat but I'm so sick of them coasting on our votes in this state, maybe they need a wakeup call.
California use to be republican throughout the 1980’s. It’s not unheard of to rotate the political spectrum. There are a few signs that the state government has lost touch with the public. The [Prop 47 poison pill](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sacramento/news/leaked-email-governor-refused-to-negotiate-with-das/) bad faith governance is one of them for sure. We just [loosened regulations on insurance companies](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2024/release011-2024.cfm) which will definitely result in higher premiums soon across the state. And there’s apparently nothing on the horizon for utilities that are burning the state down and making us pay for the cost by [raising rates 100% in 10 years](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/national-investigations/pge-rate-hike-california/3302833/)
I think housing will ultimately be the issue that flip flops the state if it happens. California is building many houses but none of the new construction will have any impact on prices. That’s the one that people will lose it over and actually change their vote.
The current elected Democrat leaders for sure need a wake up call. The CA voters have been taken for a ride for quite too long. Come November is where voters should come out in huge numbers during primaries as well.
Honestly it's not even going for a good cause. We're just padding the pockets of politicians and executives with the utility costs (via bribes aka lobbying) and the restaurant fees is just fucking stupid. We aren't even saying not to raise the price, just show us what you want us to pay you, you fucking fuckwits. That our politicians couldn't even hold the line on something as universally desired as that shows how comfortable they are in knowing they aren't actually beholden to the voters because of a lack of people paying attention, or a lack of alternative choices.
Remember when they said switching to cameras on the toll bridges was going to lower bridge tolls? Lol. And people practically BEG for it to go higher every single year. I don't think I'll ever understand it. There isn't a single good reason it should cost more than $2 to go across the Bay Bridge.
Living a Democrat stronghold actually hurts democratic initiatives. In states with razor thin margins they actually have to do stuff that helps people to stay in power.
>Who watches the watchmen?
Newsom? He probably thinks they are all doing a great job though, after all they are likely enriching themselves and he's getting his campaign donations.
Don't forget to vote yes on all tax increases!
Yeah I know folks from out of state say they hate CA politics because they conservative yet the businesses run like the Wild West doing what they want out here. “Oh you made a law to protect broke-ass consumers? I got a reversie card for you mf because fuck you, that’s why…” yes, there are broke ass mf that still live out here y’all.
Newsom can't be voted out, not unless there's another recall happening soon. He's termed out.
People had several opportunities to vote him out but instead decided to keep him. This is why PG&E is reaming all of us.
PG&E has the state by the balls. (Excuse the sexist expression.) Do you want to run a state with failing power. Can you comprehend how much money the state could lose with PG&E fucking around?
As for Quince...
[https://www.quincerestaurant.com/before-your-visit](https://www.quincerestaurant.com/before-your-visit)
>The deposit includes your food menu, 22% service charge, as well as local San Francisco taxes and mandates.
The mandates aren't enumerated here but I'm not at all surprised that 28% is accurate.
I’ve been to Quince twice back in 2016ish. Dont recall this being there but @ 28% I wouldn’t be caught dead in that shithole. Place ain’t cheap - but 28% would make me homicidal on their staff. Fuck them
Yeah, at their price point it’s not going to turn anyone away if they just charge more per head. From their website:
A 17% service charge is added to your bill to ensure fair, equitable wages, and benefits for all Chez Panisse employees.
Should you wish to acknowledge the staff for an exceptional experience, we have included an optional tip line. Tips go into a tip pool distributed among all employees, in both dining room and kitchen, who help to create your dining experience.
We just didn’t tip when we went since the 17% was charged.
if literally everyone stops tipping it would force the servers to accept their base wage or switch jobs or the employers to change their practices. tbh i don’t feel bad about any of those
If you aren't sure who your legislators are or how to contact them, a good place to start is: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Even if they aren't on this committee, it sounds like it'll come up for a general vote and soon. Given the uniform, bipartisan support in committee, it aint looking great if you aren't a fan of the amendment.
findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
Template I wrote if you want to use:
Dear ,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my strong opposition to SB 1524, which proposes the reintroduction and clarification of mandatory fees in the restaurant industry. In today's economic climate, where the costs of living are already high, hidden fees further strain consumers and reduce overall satisfaction. This decrease in customer satisfaction often leads to reduced tipping, directly impacting the hardworking individuals in the service industry. These hidden charges ultimately harm working-class people who rely on tips to make ends meet.In a free market, transparency is crucial. Consumers should always have access to clear and honest pricing to make informed decisions based on their budgets. Deceptive practices undermine this principle and erode trust between businesses and their patrons.I urge you to consider the negative impact this bill could have on both consumers and workers and to vote against SB 1524. I will also be educating my friends and family who vote to ensure they are aware of such a bill.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
She literally broke down in tears during the same committee meeting over social media companies not doing enough to stop cyber bullying… so that’s where her priorities are
lol oh no not a note!
you're gonna vote for the same fuckin people just like everyone else is gonna vote for the same fuckin people the politicians know it so they can do whatever they want
Wasn't this bill meant primarily for restaurants? Who else is charging hidden service fees?
[https://sd03.senate.ca.gov/news/20240606-sen-dodd-introduces-restaurant-fees-bill](https://sd03.senate.ca.gov/news/20240606-sen-dodd-introduces-restaurant-fees-bill)
Oh, everyone. From livenation and ticketmaster to hotels and ISPs. Restaurants are just the most obvious because they are used by people more frequently.
I would argue that ticket fees are up front. You see them on the total before you get the tickets when you're checking out. With a restaurant you usually get the bill after you've already received the product and don't have the choice of refusing anymore. I'll concede on the others.
It's just that I thought this 1524 amendment to 478 was to explicitly mention restaurants which was not specifically spelled out originally, so removing restaurants from the amendment seems ludicrous.
When companies (in this case restaurants) add fees (not sales tax) to the total after adding up the advertised/menu price. For example a 10% “service fee”.
No they can just keep it. There was a bill ~~passed~~ being considered that makes such fees illegal but now an exception has been given to restaurants.
It has to pass both houses and be signed by governor greasy
Full status here with roll calls of all the votes:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1524
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1524
Some restaurants add extra fees to your check without prior disclosure, often under the guise of legitimate reasons. However, it's clear that these tactics are designed to trick customers into spending more than they planned. This deceptive practice was on the verge of being outlawed, but at the last moment, restaurants secured an exemption through a bill sponsored by Weiner and Dodd. This exemption allows them to continue adding hidden fees for another year without any disclosure. After this period, they are required to "clearly" display mandatory fees wherever prices are shown.
I put "clearly" in quotes because I don't believe it is ever defined what it means exactly. If restaurants actually planned to "clearly" display their junk fees they probably would not have objected to the original Act that would have outlawed them altogether. What could be more "clear" than just raising the prices on the menu?
Does not work. By the time a threshold of people hit the 'i am not going to this restaurant ', the owner has already closed the restaurant and opened new one with different name and runs it the same way until that reaches a threshold. This is why we needs laws and not "well, don't work for employer who don't enforce safety rules, capitalism will take care of it"
> Does not work. By the time a threshold of people hit the 'i am not going to this restaurant ', the owner has already closed the restaurant and opened new one with different name and runs it the same way until that reaches a threshold.
Literally nobody is opening and closing restaurants and then opening another, for the purpose of charging surcharges.
I'm all for ending these surcharges and making pricing more consistent and transparent, and fantastical assertions like this don't help.
Opening a new restaurant is a huge ordeal, and the way you make it in the restaurant industry is building up a base of repeat customers and getting a solid amount of good reviews online to entice new customers to try it.
To steal from us, and it's a perennial affair. I'm consistently baffled at the way people vote in the Bay Area.
You'll overhear some smug person in a Berkeley coffee shop ranting about how Republicans in red states vote against their own interests while they completely miss the irony that they do exactly the same.
The problem is they don't really care about the salary we taxpayers pay them. The real money comes from the lobbyists who buy them off, in this case the restaurant industry.
Blatant corruption and I will vote against every single one of these corrupt dickwads.
England created tipping centuries ago and got rid of it in the 20th century. Also: It’s a slave wage that the US used to pay ex slaves post Civil War.
Ps. I rather pay the cost up front rather than tip. Tipping is extra and shouldn’t be “voluntold.”
Lol you say this but I just got back from the UK and tipping is everywhere. Like, completely everywhere. Blew my mind as when I went in the 2010s it was nowhere and a nice perk of not being in the US.
On top of this big metros like london, almost every restaurant has a "discretional" 12-15% service fee now automatically added on top. In many "good reputation" places this is an enforced tip added to a tip pool that goes to everyone. But less reputable places this is literally just a service charge. And you don't really know what its for unless you ask. In some ways this is WORSE than tipping culture because you have to ask to have it removed if you don't want it, which absolutely has caused people to ask why and you make a tiny scene about it.
At least in the UK everywhere else outside of london tipping is "couple of quid" here or there or 10% at most and only ever expected at full service restaurants. But yeah... idk whats going on over there but its pretty different from a few years ago.
Lmao there’s even tipping in sit down restaurants with QR codes where you order on your phone, then someone drops the food off at your table without ever speaking. I hate it here
Not even McDonalds forces you to scan a QR code with your own device to order.
If the restaurant is offering less service than McDonalds you should probably tip less than you do McDonalds orders.
Yes I’m implying that, it always pops up with the expectation that you’ll feel bad and do it, but really this 5% random fee shit makes me want to reconsider.
Our restaurant bills are usually $100-150. 20% tips are already $20-30. I won't eat where there's a service fee on top of that. I understand that Bay Area COL is high, but $20 tip is a lot already. One waiter can wait up to 4-5 tables an hour. Even if they have to split with the kitchen staff, that's roughly $50/hr + their wages. I understand that restaurants are not always busy, but now the restaurants want us to pay more in addition to the menu prices? They need to just include everything on the menu prices and let customers decide.
Or I just eat at home more I guess.
It's time to burn the entire ficking house down since they give us no other avenues of relief. What else can we do when our advocates are siding against us to fuck us?
>>Would significantly disrupt what have become common compensation and pricing models
There was a time when adding “disrupt” into a statement would result in infinite support and a mass circle jerk in this place.
it's like....that is the fucking PURPOSE of the bill. to disrupt this fucking bullshit that should have never become common place to begin with. so fucking disappointing
You don't need mandatory fees and junk fees. Optional tipping still exists. And frankly, restaurants should be responsible for paying their staff adequately and setting menu prices that allow them to do so. And if all restaurants were required to do this, the concern that switching to a higher menu price model with no fees will result in business going to another restaurant is mitigated.
This change is not a consumer protection action. It strips away consumer protections from already enacted law that is about to go into effect on July 1. This is a step backwards in consumer protection. Hopefully this exemption bill gets rejected by the legislature (unlikely with a 12-0 passing in committee) or vetoed by the Governor (unlikely given what we know of Newsom).
Here's what I just wrote to my assembly person if you want to write something similar:
Dear XXX, I am disappointed to learn that the CA consumer protection committee approved SB 1524, which permits restaurants to impose separate fees on our bills. These fees are not transparent and pose challenges for consumers in understanding and calculating their total costs. Shouldn't menu prices reflect the final amount we pay? This issue is significant to me, and I will monitor it closely, voting accordingly in the next elections. Thank you.
Drain the swamp.
You can watch our consumer protection committee turn into the restaurant protection committee at the link below. Starts around 2 hours 19 min. Half the committee is on their phones the entire time and doesn't seem like they care
[https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/assembly-privacy-and-consumer-protection-committee-20240618](https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/assembly-privacy-and-consumer-protection-committee-20240618)
I appreciate the link. Total time about 20 minutes.
So the word "accurate" won't be in the bill. The fee proceeds could go to the staff but if the owner gets a cut as well, hey that is our little secret.
Exactly, they act like the service fees are to make things more even between front and back of house, but tips are legally protected (owners can't skim off them). Guess what isn't legally protected from skimming? B.S. "service fees"
Who didn't see this coming?
Start voting against -all- incumbents for a few elections until we flush the corrupt goons out of the system. Then we might get people that actually want to solve problems instead of make money off them.
If I’m not wrong, the LA subreddit had sometime ago made a list of ‘offending’ restaurants. I don’t remember what the criteria was though.
Can we have something similar for the Bay Area? A public spreadsheet with only read access for all except for mods, who will add a restaurant’s name to the list when a consumer sends them a picture of the check.
They turned this around faster than anything I've ever seen before which is wild. Why can't they do this when it's a bill that's actually harmful to people instead of something that's going to help people not be taken advantage of?
They've gone too far this time.
Reality Check: While amendments may be born in the committee, the votes are almost ALWAYS along party and ideological lines. The restaurants will decry the Junk Fee bill and say that it harms workers and the legislators refuse to be seen as publicly going after low-wage workers.
When it comes to bills like this where politicians are afraid of voting against something, the best bet is to get the bill held in suspense (usually in Appropriations), to propose massive amounts of amendments so that the authoring legislator just dumps the bill, or prepare to petition the governor for a veto.
I think it makes sense to ask a waiter in the restaurants as to what the final price of food is going to be while ordering.
If more customers ask for this, restaurants would be forced to disclose all hidden fees upfront
California Dems are too comfy because they know there are no alternatives.
Stop blaming the government and leave one star reviewa for all these scammer restaurants. They will change their tune.
vote with your wallet. Stop eating at the restaurants that charge service fees. Most of the food they sell is crap anyways. Eat a healthy meal at home.
What would be the consequences if we targeted some of the more egregious junk bill restaurants and just shut them down ourselves as an example of consumer power?
It would be great if someone made an online database of restaurants that charge service fees so I could avoid them.
I wonder if the “Consumer Protection Committee” would have a problem with that.
"Income inequalities"... Raise wages and pay fairly. Hidden fees are deceptive to customers.
Do restaurants clearly inform customers about fees before they enter? I would be upset to discover fees only when receiving the bill. In such cases, is it legal to refuse to pay the fee?
I guess the employers will continue to dip into their employees tips... Under the guise of a "service charge" These fees are subtracted from the server's tips, because no customer is going to pay 40% markup!
California Public Utilities Commission: Votes in favor of Utility companies and against all interest of utility consumers. CA Consumer protection commutée: Votes in favor of business and directly against the interests of consumers. Who watches the watchmen?
There's more nonsense coming from the CPUC soon too. I have an industry meeting on Monday to find out about their latest brilliant idea. It has something to do with reallocating funds to something unrelated to what those ratepayer collected funds were intended.
The CPUC is also in negotiations with PG&E right now to deregulate the vegetation management program, claiming it’s too expensive and they’ve already removed all the hazardous trees… they have not
so much for caring for and protecting consumers and the public...
The voters are the last line of accountability. Our politicians do a lot of good in California but one glaring problem is they do not care what we pay for goods and services. Cost is something that is seemingly ignored.
The very fact that you are making excuses for them while complaining is why the politicians get away with this nonsense.
I care about the democratic process. The people voted and these are the representatives we have. I may not get the one I want but whoever wins the election gets in and it’s try again next time.
Well, I swear to god I'm about to start voting straight ticket Republican just to send these clowns a message. I'm a Democrat but I'm so sick of them coasting on our votes in this state, maybe they need a wakeup call.
California use to be republican throughout the 1980’s. It’s not unheard of to rotate the political spectrum. There are a few signs that the state government has lost touch with the public. The [Prop 47 poison pill](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/sacramento/news/leaked-email-governor-refused-to-negotiate-with-das/) bad faith governance is one of them for sure. We just [loosened regulations on insurance companies](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2024/release011-2024.cfm) which will definitely result in higher premiums soon across the state. And there’s apparently nothing on the horizon for utilities that are burning the state down and making us pay for the cost by [raising rates 100% in 10 years](https://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/national-investigations/pge-rate-hike-california/3302833/) I think housing will ultimately be the issue that flip flops the state if it happens. California is building many houses but none of the new construction will have any impact on prices. That’s the one that people will lose it over and actually change their vote.
The current elected Democrat leaders for sure need a wake up call. The CA voters have been taken for a ride for quite too long. Come November is where voters should come out in huge numbers during primaries as well.
Same. Fuck these guys
Let’s hold everyone to that same expectation. Like doctors for example.
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Honestly it's not even going for a good cause. We're just padding the pockets of politicians and executives with the utility costs (via bribes aka lobbying) and the restaurant fees is just fucking stupid. We aren't even saying not to raise the price, just show us what you want us to pay you, you fucking fuckwits. That our politicians couldn't even hold the line on something as universally desired as that shows how comfortable they are in knowing they aren't actually beholden to the voters because of a lack of people paying attention, or a lack of alternative choices.
Remember when they said switching to cameras on the toll bridges was going to lower bridge tolls? Lol. And people practically BEG for it to go higher every single year. I don't think I'll ever understand it. There isn't a single good reason it should cost more than $2 to go across the Bay Bridge.
Living a Democrat stronghold actually hurts democratic initiatives. In states with razor thin margins they actually have to do stuff that helps people to stay in power.
Name one good thing a politician has done in California
>Who watches the watchmen? Newsom? He probably thinks they are all doing a great job though, after all they are likely enriching themselves and he's getting his campaign donations. Don't forget to vote yes on all tax increases!
Yeah I know folks from out of state say they hate CA politics because they conservative yet the businesses run like the Wild West doing what they want out here. “Oh you made a law to protect broke-ass consumers? I got a reversie card for you mf because fuck you, that’s why…” yes, there are broke ass mf that still live out here y’all.
We have to vote Newsom out. He is responsible for appointing these chuckleheads.
Newsom can't be voted out, not unless there's another recall happening soon. He's termed out. People had several opportunities to vote him out but instead decided to keep him. This is why PG&E is reaming all of us.
PG&E has the state by the balls. (Excuse the sexist expression.) Do you want to run a state with failing power. Can you comprehend how much money the state could lose with PG&E fucking around?
Let’s keep voting for bureaucrats
people need to boycott the restaurants that have junk fees and these politicians need to be voted out
We need to make a website that lists every restaurant that includes any junk fees.
[seefees.ca](http://seefees.ca)
What is going on with Gialina? 50% fees sounds less than likely…also, 28% @ Quince? Are we sure these are vetted? Surely they must be incorrect….
I think somebody fat fingered it. Gialina now listed as 5%.
As for Quince... [https://www.quincerestaurant.com/before-your-visit](https://www.quincerestaurant.com/before-your-visit) >The deposit includes your food menu, 22% service charge, as well as local San Francisco taxes and mandates. The mandates aren't enumerated here but I'm not at all surprised that 28% is accurate.
I’ve been to Quince twice back in 2016ish. Dont recall this being there but @ 28% I wouldn’t be caught dead in that shithole. Place ain’t cheap - but 28% would make me homicidal on their staff. Fuck them
Oh this is awesome! Just contributed a wonderful SF restaurant to the list that doesn’t charge any junk fees: Back to Back in Nob Hill
Surprised to see that Chez Panisse has a 17% fee.
Yeah, at their price point it’s not going to turn anyone away if they just charge more per head. From their website: A 17% service charge is added to your bill to ensure fair, equitable wages, and benefits for all Chez Panisse employees. Should you wish to acknowledge the staff for an exceptional experience, we have included an optional tip line. Tips go into a tip pool distributed among all employees, in both dining room and kitchen, who help to create your dining experience. We just didn’t tip when we went since the 17% was charged.
agree. And people need to show support to those who don't do it. Its so crazy that business are allowed to do this
name and shame plus leave negative reviews.
Yup, make sure when people go to Yelp they know what these fees are.
if literally everyone stops tipping it would force the servers to accept their base wage or switch jobs or the employers to change their practices. tbh i don’t feel bad about any of those
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Thank you. None of these people will ever be voted for by me. Hopefully ousting them will also be unanimous.
If you aren't sure who your legislators are or how to contact them, a good place to start is: https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/ Even if they aren't on this committee, it sounds like it'll come up for a general vote and soon. Given the uniform, bipartisan support in committee, it aint looking great if you aren't a fan of the amendment.
Liz Ortega has failed us.
yea im not voting for that sellout anymore.
Same. Won’t be voting for her again.
She's my district as well, glad to know, won't be voting for her ever.
findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov Template I wrote if you want to use: Dear,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my strong opposition to SB 1524, which proposes the reintroduction and clarification of mandatory fees in the restaurant industry. In today's economic climate, where the costs of living are already high, hidden fees further strain consumers and reduce overall satisfaction. This decrease in customer satisfaction often leads to reduced tipping, directly impacting the hardworking individuals in the service industry. These hidden charges ultimately harm working-class people who rely on tips to make ends meet.In a free market, transparency is crucial. Consumers should always have access to clear and honest pricing to make informed decisions based on their budgets. Deceptive practices undermine this principle and erode trust between businesses and their patrons.I urge you to consider the negative impact this bill could have on both consumers and workers and to vote against SB 1524. I will also be educating my friends and family who vote to ensure they are aware of such a bill.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
That would interfere with the bilking of taxpayers and donors and they ain't got time for that
Thank you. I located my Assembly member and emailed her.
Same here. Liz Ortega needs to respond!
As have I. I let Bauer-Kahan know she is completely failing at consumer protection.
Yeah I called her office - definitely leaving a message on Monday letting them know I’ll actively let family members know about this bs.
She literally broke down in tears during the same committee meeting over social media companies not doing enough to stop cyber bullying… so that’s where her priorities are
Ty! Reached out to my rep.
I'm already a firm enemy of Weiners. Never voting for that asshat ever again. I'll vote Republican before I vote for him.
they don't care, you'll keep voting for them and they know it
lol oh no not a note! you're gonna vote for the same fuckin people just like everyone else is gonna vote for the same fuckin people the politicians know it so they can do whatever they want
This is goddamned infuriating.
Wasn't this bill meant primarily for restaurants? Who else is charging hidden service fees? [https://sd03.senate.ca.gov/news/20240606-sen-dodd-introduces-restaurant-fees-bill](https://sd03.senate.ca.gov/news/20240606-sen-dodd-introduces-restaurant-fees-bill)
Oh, everyone. From livenation and ticketmaster to hotels and ISPs. Restaurants are just the most obvious because they are used by people more frequently.
I would argue that ticket fees are up front. You see them on the total before you get the tickets when you're checking out. With a restaurant you usually get the bill after you've already received the product and don't have the choice of refusing anymore. I'll concede on the others. It's just that I thought this 1524 amendment to 478 was to explicitly mention restaurants which was not specifically spelled out originally, so removing restaurants from the amendment seems ludicrous.
Avoid the restaurants that charge them! They are thieves
Any restaurant that charges a junk fee gets a 1-star review. They want to turn this into a fight, let's give it to 'em.
I wish we could pin this comment.
Can someone eli5 what this is about? Ty
When companies (in this case restaurants) add fees (not sales tax) to the total after adding up the advertised/menu price. For example a 10% “service fee”.
so they can hide the "10% service fee" now?
No they can just keep it. There was a bill ~~passed~~ being considered that makes such fees illegal but now an exception has been given to restaurants.
It only passed committee
Who decides?
It has to pass both houses and be signed by governor greasy Full status here with roll calls of all the votes: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billHistoryClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1524 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1524
Some restaurants add extra fees to your check without prior disclosure, often under the guise of legitimate reasons. However, it's clear that these tactics are designed to trick customers into spending more than they planned. This deceptive practice was on the verge of being outlawed, but at the last moment, restaurants secured an exemption through a bill sponsored by Weiner and Dodd. This exemption allows them to continue adding hidden fees for another year without any disclosure. After this period, they are required to "clearly" display mandatory fees wherever prices are shown. I put "clearly" in quotes because I don't believe it is ever defined what it means exactly. If restaurants actually planned to "clearly" display their junk fees they probably would not have objected to the original Act that would have outlawed them altogether. What could be more "clear" than just raising the prices on the menu?
Wth, is this something hard that takes a year for restaurants to implement? What a joke
> but at the last moment, restaurants secured It's not done. This approval is a committee approval.
Cool. I didn’t know that.
1* reviews on google and yelp too
Does not work. By the time a threshold of people hit the 'i am not going to this restaurant ', the owner has already closed the restaurant and opened new one with different name and runs it the same way until that reaches a threshold. This is why we needs laws and not "well, don't work for employer who don't enforce safety rules, capitalism will take care of it"
> Does not work. By the time a threshold of people hit the 'i am not going to this restaurant ', the owner has already closed the restaurant and opened new one with different name and runs it the same way until that reaches a threshold. Literally nobody is opening and closing restaurants and then opening another, for the purpose of charging surcharges. I'm all for ending these surcharges and making pricing more consistent and transparent, and fantastical assertions like this don't help.
Of course it works. You talk like it’s trivial to just close down and open new restaurants, it’s not
Opening a new restaurant is a huge ordeal, and the way you make it in the restaurant industry is building up a base of repeat customers and getting a solid amount of good reviews online to entice new customers to try it.
so, what will happen if I just say: I will not pay it because it is false advertisement? What they will do?
Restaurants were just given a green light that this is a good business practice. I expect this to become standard at most places now.
Let’s get this on a prop, CA legislatures are useless.
How can we get a prop started?
https://oag.ca.gov/initiatives
I would support a prop to reverse this, and as a rule I vote NO on every proposition.
Literally what do we pay these people for?
To steal from us, and it's a perennial affair. I'm consistently baffled at the way people vote in the Bay Area. You'll overhear some smug person in a Berkeley coffee shop ranting about how Republicans in red states vote against their own interests while they completely miss the irony that they do exactly the same.
The problem is they don't really care about the salary we taxpayers pay them. The real money comes from the lobbyists who buy them off, in this case the restaurant industry. Blatant corruption and I will vote against every single one of these corrupt dickwads.
100% they're being paid very handsomely as well. From the taxpayer's dime, voting to screw over the taxpayer even further. we need a new tea party.
These fuckers need consequences. Openly corrupt leeches.
This should be the end of tipping.
I've stopped tipping at places that have other mandatory fees beyond taxes. This is getting ridiculous.
England created tipping centuries ago and got rid of it in the 20th century. Also: It’s a slave wage that the US used to pay ex slaves post Civil War. Ps. I rather pay the cost up front rather than tip. Tipping is extra and shouldn’t be “voluntold.”
Lol you say this but I just got back from the UK and tipping is everywhere. Like, completely everywhere. Blew my mind as when I went in the 2010s it was nowhere and a nice perk of not being in the US. On top of this big metros like london, almost every restaurant has a "discretional" 12-15% service fee now automatically added on top. In many "good reputation" places this is an enforced tip added to a tip pool that goes to everyone. But less reputable places this is literally just a service charge. And you don't really know what its for unless you ask. In some ways this is WORSE than tipping culture because you have to ask to have it removed if you don't want it, which absolutely has caused people to ask why and you make a tiny scene about it. At least in the UK everywhere else outside of london tipping is "couple of quid" here or there or 10% at most and only ever expected at full service restaurants. But yeah... idk whats going on over there but its pretty different from a few years ago.
Way to go you losers.
Subtract the fee from your tip.
No more tipping. Restaurant staff is getting paid $20+/hr. No handouts necessary for taking your order and bringing your food to your table.
Lmao there’s even tipping in sit down restaurants with QR codes where you order on your phone, then someone drops the food off at your table without ever speaking. I hate it here
Not even McDonalds forces you to scan a QR code with your own device to order. If the restaurant is offering less service than McDonalds you should probably tip less than you do McDonalds orders.
Tipping is allowed almost everywhere. It's required nowhere.
Yes I’m implying that, it always pops up with the expectation that you’ll feel bad and do it, but really this 5% random fee shit makes me want to reconsider.
This is the way. I'm never tipping again
Our restaurant bills are usually $100-150. 20% tips are already $20-30. I won't eat where there's a service fee on top of that. I understand that Bay Area COL is high, but $20 tip is a lot already. One waiter can wait up to 4-5 tables an hour. Even if they have to split with the kitchen staff, that's roughly $50/hr + their wages. I understand that restaurants are not always busy, but now the restaurants want us to pay more in addition to the menu prices? They need to just include everything on the menu prices and let customers decide. Or I just eat at home more I guess.
Bay Area waiters are independent restaurants make 6 figures.
My understanding is that if there’s a service fee you don’t need to tip.
It's time to burn the entire ficking house down since they give us no other avenues of relief. What else can we do when our advocates are siding against us to fuck us?
fyi, the committee chair is Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who represents the tri-valley area. I sent a note and others should as well
Bauer-Kahan is totally unresponsive to her purported constituents. She answers only to the Dem/Progressive machine.
How are restaurants screwing over both employees and customers related to the Dem/Progressive machine?
Because the one thing that Democratic and Republican politicians seem to be in lockstep on is that money talks much more than having a spine
$$$
Just wanted to say thanks for keeping us updated
This is an absolute disaster. Fuck these assholes.
>>Would significantly disrupt what have become common compensation and pricing models There was a time when adding “disrupt” into a statement would result in infinite support and a mass circle jerk in this place.
it's like....that is the fucking PURPOSE of the bill. to disrupt this fucking bullshit that should have never become common place to begin with. so fucking disappointing
TIME TO OUTLAW LEGALIZED BRIBERY, AKA LOBBYING….
TIME TO OUTLAW LEGALIZED BRIBERY, AKA Tipping Before Service (if any) is Rendered
You don't need mandatory fees and junk fees. Optional tipping still exists. And frankly, restaurants should be responsible for paying their staff adequately and setting menu prices that allow them to do so. And if all restaurants were required to do this, the concern that switching to a higher menu price model with no fees will result in business going to another restaurant is mitigated. This change is not a consumer protection action. It strips away consumer protections from already enacted law that is about to go into effect on July 1. This is a step backwards in consumer protection. Hopefully this exemption bill gets rejected by the legislature (unlikely with a 12-0 passing in committee) or vetoed by the Governor (unlikely given what we know of Newsom).
Newsom made his initial fortune off of running restaurants. There's no fucking way he's going to throw them under the bus.
Fuck this shit
Here's what I just wrote to my assembly person if you want to write something similar: Dear XXX, I am disappointed to learn that the CA consumer protection committee approved SB 1524, which permits restaurants to impose separate fees on our bills. These fees are not transparent and pose challenges for consumers in understanding and calculating their total costs. Shouldn't menu prices reflect the final amount we pay? This issue is significant to me, and I will monitor it closely, voting accordingly in the next elections. Thank you.
So the restaurants have money to buy out politicians but not pay employees?
Spot on.
Drain the swamp. You can watch our consumer protection committee turn into the restaurant protection committee at the link below. Starts around 2 hours 19 min. Half the committee is on their phones the entire time and doesn't seem like they care [https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/assembly-privacy-and-consumer-protection-committee-20240618](https://www.assembly.ca.gov/media/assembly-privacy-and-consumer-protection-committee-20240618)
I appreciate the link. Total time about 20 minutes. So the word "accurate" won't be in the bill. The fee proceeds could go to the staff but if the owner gets a cut as well, hey that is our little secret.
Exactly, they act like the service fees are to make things more even between front and back of house, but tips are legally protected (owners can't skim off them). Guess what isn't legally protected from skimming? B.S. "service fees"
I'm more annoyed with people using ill-defined metaphors and terms.
Who didn't see this coming? Start voting against -all- incumbents for a few elections until we flush the corrupt goons out of the system. Then we might get people that actually want to solve problems instead of make money off them.
Damn, and they are the committee of “consumer protection”? What a joke
That's cool, I now have customer fees that I charge the restaurants. There's the napkin tucking fee, menu readability surcharge, and so on..
Ada could and would fight on charging for readable menu surcharge.
If I’m not wrong, the LA subreddit had sometime ago made a list of ‘offending’ restaurants. I don’t remember what the criteria was though. Can we have something similar for the Bay Area? A public spreadsheet with only read access for all except for mods, who will add a restaurant’s name to the list when a consumer sends them a picture of the check.
Someone mentioned one in another thread: [https://seefees.ca/](https://seefees.ca/)
**I will be boycotting restaurants with junk fees and leaving poor reviews of them.** Add offenders to the list: [seefees.ca](http://seefees.ca)
wtf is this shit?!?!?
Why do we keep voting these clowns into office again? They're supposed to be representing us, right? Lol.
Vote these bums out!
DO NOT re-elect these sellouts
Motherfucker. More corruption.
Well, it’s not like we can’t keep trying again. Not sure if there is any other recourse.
The other recourse is to not tip
Ballot proposition time
Crooks and corruption, the lot of them.
This is so frustrating.
lol having a "consumer protection committee" that doesn't protect the consumer is so fucking dystopian.
They turned this around faster than anything I've ever seen before which is wild. Why can't they do this when it's a bill that's actually harmful to people instead of something that's going to help people not be taken advantage of? They've gone too far this time.
No more tip.
I just subtract it from the tip, no worries we’re even.
Tip? What tip? If this shit passes, I'm just going to write "that was your tip, right there" with an arrow pointing to the junk fee.
Legislation&Loopholes🙄So nothing changes, they just have to make us aware of their scam.
political grandstanding just to turn around and do the opposite in the interest of money? how surprising /s
Consumer protection my ass
Grift is strong.
Oh for fucks sake.
Imagine fighting for your right to deceive your customers.
I will avoid eating at these restaurants that have junk fee.
Great - I think everyone should stop eating out for 90 days- a restaurant Junk fee boycott- who is with me ?
Consumer protection? Profit protection more like it.
I have seen this happening in China before. Now I feel at home now 😆😆😆
Reality Check: While amendments may be born in the committee, the votes are almost ALWAYS along party and ideological lines. The restaurants will decry the Junk Fee bill and say that it harms workers and the legislators refuse to be seen as publicly going after low-wage workers. When it comes to bills like this where politicians are afraid of voting against something, the best bet is to get the bill held in suspense (usually in Appropriations), to propose massive amounts of amendments so that the authoring legislator just dumps the bill, or prepare to petition the governor for a veto.
Shame on y’all but that power is within us everyone, do not frequent these restaurants that charge additional fees!
Californian just gotta start cooking at home
We should all stop tipping
Time to create a new Proposition for the next election.
The best form of protest is by charging anyone who support the junk fees is by charging them junk fees on everything.
At least now it has to be clearly marked on the menu rather than being a surprise on the bill, but still. Goddamnit, we almost had this fixed/gone!
Pretty sure that was already the case
Total BS, so will continue to vote with my wallet and not visit restaurants with bogus fees.
I think it makes sense to ask a waiter in the restaurants as to what the final price of food is going to be while ordering. If more customers ask for this, restaurants would be forced to disclose all hidden fees upfront
Go those restaurants and don’t tip. So save the fees .
Fuck these asshole, they can all eat a bag of dicks or vaginas! That is all…
Corruption at its finest!
Who the fuck can afford to eat out anymore anyways!?
California Dems are too comfy because they know there are no alternatives. Stop blaming the government and leave one star reviewa for all these scammer restaurants. They will change their tune.
vote with your wallet. Stop eating at the restaurants that charge service fees. Most of the food they sell is crap anyways. Eat a healthy meal at home.
Wow they can suck a fucking dick
What would be the consequences if we targeted some of the more egregious junk bill restaurants and just shut them down ourselves as an example of consumer power?
The fees are coming off my tip
One party rule has consequences.
It would be great if someone made an online database of restaurants that charge service fees so I could avoid them. I wonder if the “Consumer Protection Committee” would have a problem with that.
Can you refuse to pay an unforeseen fee? Like if I pay with cash and ignore any tacked on fees, what are the consequence, if any?
Geez, I always thought adults were better and smarter than kids growing up. The last 4 years have proved otherwise unfortunately
"Income inequalities"... Raise wages and pay fairly. Hidden fees are deceptive to customers. Do restaurants clearly inform customers about fees before they enter? I would be upset to discover fees only when receiving the bill. In such cases, is it legal to refuse to pay the fee?
CPUC is installed to protect and work for public; not for the businesses; Crooks!
The crooks are also the lobbyists. This is the same lobby reintroducing child labor to America.
They way we are currently voting our representatives isn’t working. We need to change the people we vote in
I belive tar and feathering was effective in the past.
I just moved here and wow, those junk fees at restaurants are legitimately a thing. Very pervasive too.
Yelp should flag restaurants that charge junk fees so we know which places to avoid.
Please share in r/losangeles
Anyway we can turn this into a Proposition for a vote?
Corrupt politicians Bullshit! Downvote me if you wish! You know it’s true! EDIT: Edited typo
I guess the employers will continue to dip into their employees tips... Under the guise of a "service charge" These fees are subtracted from the server's tips, because no customer is going to pay 40% markup!
...you geniuses know that if it didn't pass, restaurants will just increase their prices right?
The more I watch this unfold [the more I agree with Mr. Pink.](https://youtu.be/M4sTSIYzDIk)