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Los Angeles Mayor Approves $15/Hour Minimum Wage Increase


Late last month, I updated readers on a vote from the Los Angeles City Council to raise minimum wage in the city to $15/hour.  (Los Angeles City Council Votes to Raise Minimum Wage).  As I noted, the only thing left for this minimum wage increase to occur was for Mayor Eric Garcetti to sign the measure into law, which I predicted was probable.  

This past Saturday, Mayor Garcetti did just that and signed the measure into law which will now make Los Angeles the largest city in the country with a $15/hour minimum wage.  In doing so, the first increase in the minimum wage will occur next July, with wage rates increasing from $9/hour to $10.50/hour.  Then in 2017, and every year thereafter, it will raise another step:  $12, $13.50, $14.25, and then finally to $15/hour. 

As has been reported elsewhere, this move by Los Angeles to increase its minimum wage rate could spur other cities to do the same.  At the very least, this minimum wage increase approved by the Los Angeles City Council and signed into law by Mayor Garcetti has further pushed the minimum wage issue to the forefront of many political discussions.  Stay tuned to see where things go from here.


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