Hundreds of residents of the New Ninth District, South Los Angeles, participated in a series of community hearings the last two months led by Councilman Curren Price to discuss the city’s proposal to raise the minimum wage for all workers.
This is a change that could positively impact the lives of 600,000 Angelenos.
As Chair of the Economic Development Committee, Mr. Price led the hearings, hosted in Watts, Van Nuys and West Los Angeles. The hearings gave residents a chance to voice their support and raise questions, as well as debate the results of three studies conducted in March that gauged the economic impact of the wage plan.
The studies and hearings came as a result of a motion introduced last fall by Mr. Price and his colleagues, Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Mike Bonin and Gil Cedillo.
Their motion called for raising the minimum wage in Los Angeles to $13.25 by 2017 and $15.25 by 2019.
“As a policy maker representing one of the poorest regions in this city, I know the real life impact that stagnant wages have had on our underserved communities,” Mr. Price said.
“I am proud of the inclusive community discussion process we had. More than 600 residents came out over the course of two weeks.
“They provided my colleagues and me with invaluable feedback as we work to craft the best policy possible for the city.”
The Los Angeles plan to raise the minimum wage would create a positive economic impact for Los Angeles, as noted in the economic report created by U.C. Berkeley University of California Berkeley found.
The study, the Proposed Minimum Wage Law for Los Angeles: Economic Impacts and Policy Options, determined that “the benefits of the proposed minimum wage law will largely outweigh the costs in Los Angeles City. When the larger region is considered, the net impact of the law will be positive.”
The report said up to 600,000 Angelenos would see a pay increase of up to 30 percent by 2019.
The largest proportion of those residents, more than 80 percent, would be people of color from underserved areas.
Studies also were commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the County Federation of Labor.
The Chamber study found that a wage increase would slow down the rate of job growth, potentially impacting 70,000 jobs. The Labor study determined that every dollar invested into a wage increase results in $1.12 million stimulus to the economy, and $6 billion in increased earnings for local workers.
During the hearings, residents almost unanimously agreed that Los Angeles needs a minimum wage increase with adequate enforcement and paid sick days for employees.
However, residents disagreed on the pace and schedule of the increases.
Restaurateurs expressed concerns with how the wage increase would impact their tipped workers, although studies show that less than half of all tipped employees work in the restaurant industry.
The wage increase proposal will continue to be debated by the Economic Development Committee in the coming months.
See www.the-new-ninth.com for updates.
