Letters to the Editor: Upset over California’s $20 wage? Wait until you see what fast-food CEOs make

To the editor: In 2022, Chipotle’s chief executive received bonus pay worth nearly twice his annual salary. The chief executive of McDonald’s Corp.’s total compensation was more than $17 million. (“With fewer options, South L.A. braces for bigger bills at fast-food restaurants,” March 29)

These CEOs are not skimping and scraping by. We should be asking why they’re not cutting back on these exorbitant bonuses to help pay their workers a livable wage instead of passing the buck to customers or threatening to cut staff.

Sulymon Siddiq, Riverside

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To the editor: Have any of you been in a grocery store lately? And I am not talking about Erewhon. Just your run-of-the-mill Vons or Stater Bros.

It’s negligent — even for researchers — to continue talking about grocery stores having “affordable” healthy food options. They don’t.

You can ask a few dozen of your friends who are lucky enough to make a high salary and live where there are a lot of grocers nearby, and most of them will tell you that shopping for groceries — healthy or not — is not “affordable” anymore.

Big-box grocers are inflating prices to keep their profits soaring. The idea that a supermarket is where you go for healthy, affordable food is fast becoming a myth.

Lynn Balsamo, Santa Monica

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To the editor: Fast-food workers earn every penny of their new $20 minimum wage. Their wages go right back into our economy to provide food, housing and healthcare to many of our most vulnerable neighbors.

The rising tide lifts all boats.

Justin Massey, Hermosa Beach

The writer is mayor of Hermosa Beach.