SAN DIEGO (KSWB) – Californians will be able to vote on a new measure in 2024 that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $18, as inflation and cost of living increases have exacerbated the effects of income inequality in the state.

An initiative, called the Living Wage Act of 2022, has been qualified by the secretary of state for next year’s ballot.

Should it pass, the measure would extend the phased increases implemented in 2017, bringing the second highest-in-the-nation statewide minimum wage up to $18 over the next few years.

The last bump under the phased increases to minimum wage was in 2022, with inflation becoming the driver of baseline raises this year. As of Jan. 1, 2023, minimum wage became $15.50 per hour for all employers.

Proponents began collecting signatures for the measure in February of 2022, in an attempt to secure its place on the California ballot during last year’s midterms.

However, it ultimately failed to get through the lengthy signature verification process by the June 31 deadline. The measure was deemed eligible for the 2024 ballot just days later, according to records from the California Secretary of State.

Under the Living Wage Act’s initial timeline for increases, the minimum wage would have increased to $16 earlier this year and $17 next January for businesses that employ more than 25 employees. For businesses with less than 25 workers, the raise to $16 baseline would...

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