Fast food strikers in about 100 cities around the nation walked off the job to protest their wages.
Workers want to pressure the federal government to raise the minimum pay to $15 per hour.
Fresno was spared from the fast food strike, but locals weighed in with their reaction.
"I believe everybody is hurting in that way. I do private security, and I walk around with a target on my back. I've been in fights, I've been stabbed, I've been shot at, and I make as much as a lot of the fast food workers. I'm making $8 an hour," said Chris Johnson, a security officer.
In Bakersfield, members of the union SEIU Local 512 supported the cause and protested outside of a McDonald's.
"Today, our action is for corporations, but we certainly do want the government to assist individuals in making a living wage," said Regina Kane, chapter president for Kern County's SEIU Local 512.
The California Restaurant Association says many of the people protesting are likely union employees, not fast food workers. They say it's not economically feasible for minimum wage pay to nearly double.
"At the end of the day, you can't ignore the economics of running a restaurant. And you can't propose that business owners pay wages based on need rather than what the business model can bare," said Angie Pappas, spokesperson for the California Restaurant Association.
Increasing pay could mean the prices of fast food could increase. One Fresno man says he'd be willing to pay the price to support those in need.
"Would I be willing to pay? Yes, I'd be willing to pay higher, so that other people can work and not be in poverty," said Sekuma Lamew.
In California, Gov. Jerry Brown passed a law that would increase minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2016.