Biden Wraps California Trip Touting Minimum Wage Hike, Health Care

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Vice President Joe Biden paid a visit to a Bay Area-based medical equipment company to discuss health care on Thursday, wrapping up a visit this week to the West Coast.

According to Bay Area NBC News, Biden held a round table discussion at Palo Alto-based company Theranos, which recently received FDA approval for a less-expensive, portable diagnostic blood test which the company hopes will eventually allow people to conduct tests in their own homes to find out if they have a variety of diseases.

The day before, Biden was in Los Angeles, touring a factory that produces bathroom accessories, where he discussed raising the federal minimum wage . This week, L.A. County voted to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020. The University of California also voted to implement the same hike–though even staff who support the move wondered how they would pay their assistants.

Some economists have warned that thr minimum wage hike will prove detrimental to many businesses, and raise youth unemployment. This past February, San Francisco’s beloved Borderlands Books was forced to close permanently due to the minimum wage hike. Other small businesses are expected to follow.

Photo: File

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