"Bloomberg reported that Panera was allegedly exempt from the law because of its classification as a bakery and suggested Gov. Gavin Newsom had pushed for the exemption due to his relationship with Greg Flynn, who owns a number of Panera locations in California; a Los Angeles Times report quoted a Newsom representative calling the claim 'absurd,' and Flynn said he would increase all hourly pre-tip wages for Panera employees in California regardless of whether the exemption was valid, effective April 1." - Rebecca Roland