For L.A. college students, the GOP's $20-burrito debate is about more than lunch

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred A slew of online discourse unfolded last week after Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet shared that a college-aged member of the conservative nonprofit told him, “A burrito shouldn’t cost $20.”“Yeah, a lot of this is a hangover from COVID and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: It just feels like basic things cost too much,” Kolvet wrote in the viral X post, which has racked up more than 3 million views.The online controversy highlights a deep frustration for young adults in Los Angeles.While politicians appear to be debating inflation for their own ends, students are struggling with the reality of not being able to afford food.A $20 burrito sounds “unjustifiable” to Klarissa Palacios, who graduated from USC in May with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law, history and culture.

While in school, Palacios interned at various city hall offices and said her hourly salary eventually reached $25 — a key consideration for college students, she said, because many young people determine a meal’s affordability based on how many work hours can pay it off.With minimum wage in L.A.at $18.42 per hour as of July, college students earning this rate would need to work for more than an hour in order to pay for just one burrito, Palacios pointed out.“I’m Mexican, so I grew up with free burritos at home, anytime I wanted.

$20 is pretty steep,” she said.“I’m expected to eat three times a day.

If I’m spending $20 per meal and I work eight hours, then that means I’m only really getting paid five hours.” Business Living through the biggest jump in grocery prices in a half-century has many Americans changing their eating and food shopping habits.Noticing a need for affordable meals, Palacios and fellow USC student Josiah Herfurth spent this past semester hostin...