Fortunately, we don’t have to report on every legislative initiative that comes down the road, but there is a vast array of fringe legislation regularly considered and sadly enough, often adopted as the law of the land! For a few examples, consider that the New Jersey legislature recently increased the state minimum wage to $10/hour effective July 1, but refused to grant an exemption for a sub-minimum wage for youth employees. Now, that same legislature is entertaining a new legislative initiative (S.3483) to provide businesses with tax credits as an incentive to hire young workers! The very same young (under 18 years of age) workers the legislature just put out of jobs by increasing the minimum wage!  Tackling the really important issues facing Berkeley California, its city council just unanimously passed legislation gender-neutralizing the municipal code! Henceforth, “manholes” are “maintenance holes”; “manpower” is “human effort”; and my favorite, “sororities” and “fraternities” will from this point on be known as “collegiate Greek system residences”! Now with that problem solved, they can rest more easily in Berkeley. At the state level out west, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural hair) into law early last week, thereby banning forevermore workplaces and public schools from enforcing grooming policies that disproportionately affect people of color. New York City passed a similar law back in February, but now California becomes the first state to do so. The Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, just one month after unanimously voting to drop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before city council meetings, last week unanimously voted to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance before all city council meetings! Men and women who no doubt, stand on their convictions, right or wrong