SAN DIEGO, CA – On the eve of the New Year, California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D – San Diego) issued the following statement regarding the Jan. 1 official and legally-obligated increase to the State of California’s and the City of San Diego’s minimum wage.
“Today, more than a million hard working San Diegans and Californians began receiving a pay raise that increases their ability to make ends meet for themselves and their families,” said Assemblymember Gloria. “With this investment in our workforce, we have taken a meaningful step toward the principle that those who work full-time should not live in poverty. While there is still much more work to do, I am proud of our progress. I will continue to work in the State Assembly to improve the quality of life for working families and ensure our state continues to provide opportunities for all workers to prosper.”
Per California state law, the minimum wage for all workers will be $10.50 per hour starting tomorrow, January 1, 2017. In the City of San Diego, under the voter-approved Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Leave Ordinance, the minimum wage will be $11.50 an hour.
Assemblymember Gloria authored the City of San Diego’s Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Leave Ordinance during his service on the San Diego City Council. The ordinance called for gradual increases to the City’s minimum wage until it reached its maximum of $11.50 per hour on January 1, 2017 with future increases indexed for inflation. Corporate special interests subjected the ordinance to a referendum and it was placed on the June ballot as Proposition I. Voters approved the ordinance by over 60%.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 3, the California Fair Wage Act of 2016, which also called for gradual increases to the state’s minimum wage until it reached its maximum of $15.00 per hour on January 1, 2022. More information on this legislation can be found here.
Assemblymember Gloria represents the 78th Assembly District of California and is a former San Diego City Councilmember, San Diego City Council President, and Interim Mayor for the City of San Diego.
I see many local restaurants are going to start adding a surcharge to checks to cover the cost. I will not be dining at any of those establishments.