Forum will discuss raising local minimum wage

Chris Benner was invited to participate in a forum to spark a community conversation about the economic ramfications of increasing the minimum wage. This forum, sponsored by the Progressive Women of Napa Valley, is necessary in an area like Napa Valley where more than 24 percent of the population live below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Benner spoke alongside other experts on the social and economic opportunities that would arise from a minimum wage hike.

About the Author: Chris Benner

Chris Benner is the Dorothy E. Everett Chair in Global Information and Social Entrepreneurship, Director of the Everett Program for Digital Tools for Social Innovation, and Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research examines the relationships between technological change, regional development, and structures of economic opportunity, including regional labor markets and restructuring of work and employment. His most recent book, coauthored with Manuel Pastor, is Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s Metropolitan Region.