The editorial’s headline reads: “In Killing this Bill, California Democrats Proved They’re Lap Dogs for Gov. Newsom.” The text begins: “California Democrats are demonstrating that they view Sacramento as their own little club, where duly elected Republicans have no power. This malignant feature of California’s one-party state results in a legislature that seems to us like a mere puppet of the Governor.”

Wall Street Journal? No. National Review? No. I doubt either would use the terms “lap dogs” and “malignant.”

This editorial appeared in the Sacramento Bee, which is the major newspaper in California’s state capital, and which has been published since 1857. The piece was written by the newspaper’s Editorial Board; it is not an op-ed piece. The Bee is politically far from the Wall Street Journal and other conservative news media outlets. The Bee is judged to be left-leaning by those who evaluate the political perspectives of major media sources.

The Bee’s Editorial Board is outraged over the California State Assembly’s quashing of Assembly Bill 2654, which would have updated the state’s 1974 Political Reform Act by banning the use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) by lobbyists, the governor’s staff, a state lawmaker, or any public official in creating legislation.

The bill was introduced by Assembly member Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) in response to the crafting of Assembly Bill 1287, which was signed into law last year. AB 1287 created a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers and a politically appointed industry council that has the authority to increase the minimum wage annually.

The $20 minimum wage is $4 higher than that for any other industry. Even before the new law took effect, California lost nearly 10,000 fast-food jobs. The job loss was predictable, as the fast-food industry has slim profit margins, averaging between 5 and 8........

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