Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Mayor Eric Garcetti Signs Law Raising Minimum Wage To $15
Mayor Eric Garcetti signed into law today a bill that will raise the minimum wage to $15, making Los Angeles the largest city in the country to have such a law.Garcetti signed the bill Saturday afternoon in a ceremony at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, in the neighborhood of Exposition Park. According to City News Service, the park was where Garcetti announced last year on Labor Day that he wanted to raise the minimum wage in the city.
Thank you to my bold #RaiseTheWageLA partners on the LA City Council! pic.twitter.com/ouwkaGTwCe
— Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) June 13, 2015
The ordinance, which passed the City Council with a vote of 12-1, will eventually raise the minimum wage for businesses with at least 25 employees to $15 an hour by the year 2020. Smaller businesses will have an extra year to reach that goal, and in 2022 the minimum wage will continue to increase based on the cost of living. The first raise will be in July of 2016, when minimum wage will have to be $10.50.
The law has, naturally, come under fire from business groups, and Councilman Mitch Englander, the only Republican on the council, was the lone dissenting vote.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
