Californians will vote on whether to overturn fast-food law.

A voter initiative that would overturn a California law aimed at raising wages and improving working conditions for more than a half-million fast food workers has qualified for next year’s ballot, On Dec. 30, a Sacramento Superior Court judge temporarily blocked the state from implementing the law while ballot signatures were counted and verified.

Opponents, who raised more than $10 million last year to fund the referendum campaign, argue that the law would burden owners of chain restaurant franchises and drive up the cost of food.

The measure would have raised employee wages to as much as $22 an hour by the end of this year for chains such as McDonald’s and Starbucks that have 100 or more outlets nationwide.AP      BC