California’s absurd (and corrupt) new fast-food minimum wage law is set to go into effect April 1, and the economic catastrophe has already begun. 

Take Pizza Hut: The national stalwart has announced, in combination with local chain Round Table Pizza, a plan to cut nearly 1,300 delivery jobs in advance of the mandate to pay at least $20 per hour. 

Would you like a side of unemployment with your Meat Lover’s Pizza?

Given the nature of the work, those affected are likely to be less-educated and less-affluent.

And many are also sure to be kids looking to pick up some extra cash. 

McDonald’s and Chipotle will be hiking prices to cover the new costs, piling pain on top of economic pain in the ugly world of Bidenflation — pain that will, again, be felt hardest by average American consumers. 

And please spare us the heavy breathing about socioeconomic justice. 

This is a power play, pure and simple.

For proof look no farther than the sleazy carveout in the law custom-made for Panera franchise billionaire Greg Flynn, a campaign donor and quondam biz partner of Gov. Gavin Newsom: a bizarre exception for restaurants that bake and serve bread as a standalone item — and did so before the law passed, which is basically only Paneras.

So Flynn dodges the chop while his competitors get sliced and diced — and low-end workers lose their jobs.

The ease with which basic arithmetic continues to elude progressive economic policymakers continues to amaze us. 

Seattle just saw food-delivery employment crater after a too-high minimum wage kicked in.

When you mandate higher costs for a good, like labor, businesses must either spend less on it (i.e. shed jobs and freeze hiring) or raise prices to cover it — slamming consumers.

Until Newsom and his woke cadre wake up and smell the pizza, the little guy is going to continue to get burned.