Running a restaurant in Southern California has never been easy, but in the Gaslamp Quarter it has always been worth the effort. Our district is the heart of San Diego’s hospitality industry, a nationally recognized dining and entertainment destination that thrives because of the hard work and creativity of our restaurant community.
Senate Bill 7, the so-called “No Robo Bosses Act,” threatens to make that work even harder. Instead of protecting workers, SB 7 would bury restaurants under vague mandates, costly compliance requirements, and endless red tape at a time when many owners are already struggling to keep their doors open.
The bill is written so broadly that even the most basic software tools restaurants use to schedule employees, track hours, or process payroll could fall under its scope. Restaurateurs would be forced to hire attorneys simply to determine which tools qualify and what disclosures are required. Every time a system is updated, or a new tool is tested, owners could be hit with another round of compliance filings.
In an industry where margins are razor thin, this is not just a nuisance, it is an unnecessary and expensive burden that drains resources from hiring staff, improving service, and welcoming the millions of guests who visit the Gaslamp Quarter every year.
SB 7 also overlooks the realities of modern restaurant operations. Delivery platforms are essential for reaching customers, yet when a driver fails to deliver, delays an order until food is cold, or abuses the system, it is the restaurant’s reputation that suffers. Customers rarely blame the courier, they blame the restaurant.
By imposing additional compliance rules instead of streamlining protections, SB 7 would slow down how quickly businesses can address these issues, making it more costly and damaging for restaurants to protect their credibility. In a destination like the Gaslamp Quarter, where reputation is everything, that risk is especially dangerous.
The truth is, California already has strong protections in place. The California Consumer Privacy Act gives workers control over their data, and the Civil Rights Department has issued rules requiring human review of hiring algorithms. These frameworks are thoughtful and workable. SB 7 ignores them, piling on conflicting rules that confuse employers, raise costs, and punish small business owners without offering any meaningful new safeguards for workers.
Gaslamp restaurateurs have survived recessions, lockdowns, and skyrocketing costs, but legislation like SB 7 threatens to push many past their breaking point. California’s restaurants deserve better than another layer of costly bureaucracy that stifles innovation and makes it harder to run a business.
For the sake of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and restaurant communities across the state, I urge Gov. Gavine Newsom to veto SB 7.
Michael Trimble is executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association in San Diego.
