San Diego council member to propose minimum wage hike

By Bre Payton | Watchdog.org

GLORIA: San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria is going to propose a minimum wage increase to $11.50 an hour.

CHINO HILLS, Calif. — San Diego City Council president Todd Gloria on Monday will present a plan to increase the minimum wage. The proposal would increase the minimum wage to $11.5o an hour by January 2017. The increases are staggered. By 2015 the minimum wage will be set at $9.75, and by 2016 it will increase to $10.50. The minimum wage in the Golden State is now $8 an hour, 75 cents more than the federal minimum of $7.25. Gloria’s proposed increases coincide with increases to the minimum wage that California has already set. Next month, all Californians will be paid at least $9 an hour. This will increase to $1o an hour by January 2016. Gloria’s proposal would bump San Diego’s minimum wage a bit higher than wages in the rest of the state. The proposal also allows minimum wage workers to acquire sick days. Seattle City Council recently passed a minimum wage hike that increased hourly rates to $15 an hour. This increase comes with a few exceptions, unlike Gloria’s proposal.

“Living in San Diego costs more than living in most other areas of California, so it makes sense that our minimum wage should be higher. The modified proposal keeps San Diego‘s wage ahead of the state’s and will provide greater opportunities for more of our neighbors,” Gloria said in a news release.

Gloria tweeted a link to the release and the proposal just before a the city council was scheduled to meet at on Monday at 2 p.m.

A live stream of the council meeting can be viewed here.

Related: Burger-flippers will get $15 an hour in Seattle; unemployed robots rejoice Related: Here are 4 new problems with Seattle’s $15-per-hour minimum wage Related: One photo reveals big issue with Seattle’s $15 minimum wage Related: Walmart in this tiny town beats Seattle’s minimum wage Bre is a reporter for Watchdog.org and can be reached at bpayton@watchdog.org, or follow her on twitter @bre_payton.