Last year, California governor signed the FAST Act which was set to raise minimum wages for fast food workers in the state and create a Fast Food Council that would oversee workplace standards. Advocates for the law, which include unions and labor groups, argue that it would help improve work conditions and the disparities in labor law that make it more challenging for workers at fast food and retail chains with thousands of locations to organize. However, recently, a petition has garnered enough support to prevent the law's implementation, and now the law will be sent to a vote on next year's election ballot instead. Spearheading the opposition to this law is a group called Save Local Restaurants, which argues that such a measure would damage the restaurant industry and raise prices. Various fast food companies like McDonald's, Chipotle, Starbucks have donated millions of dollars to this group in opposition of the law as well.
See "Fast food companies spending millions of dollars to block FAST Act, which would improve work conditions and wages for workers in California", Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Business, January 26, 2023