As we have advised in the past, a provision in the California minimum wage law that former Governor Jerry Brown insisted upon allows for postponement of a mandated increase in the minimum wage during uncertain economic times. Hard to fathom but apparently the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression doesn’t meet that standard for current Governor Gavin Newsom.  A number of business groups had requested a postponement of the next round of minimum wage increases (to $13/hour for employers with 25 or fewer employers and $14 for those with 26 or more effective 1/1/21) in light of the current pandemic and its impact on the economy. Despite those pleas from employers, the Governor filed a revised FY2021 budget yesterday that maintains the proposed increases. And on a separate issue, a letter was sent earlier this week to the Governor by 17 moderate members of the California Assembly urging Newsom to protect state businesses from litigation as they begin to reopen. The group argued that protection should extend to businesses that follow reasonable mitigation strategies in compliance with industry standard.