In summary

High inflation is triggering an increase in the California minimum wage, while a measure to boost it even more appears headed to the ballot.

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Due to skyrocketing inflation rates, California’s minimum wage for all employers will likely rise to $15.50 an hour starting Jan. 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration said Thursday.

The announcement came during the administration’s preview of an $18.1 billion inflation relief package Newsom will likely discuss in more detail today, when he unveils a revised version of his January budget proposal — and it supercharges a debate already primed to intensify in a key election year.

Also Thursday, supporters of a proposed ballot measure to raise California’s minimum wage to $18 per hour announced having submitted more than 1 million signatures — far more than the about 623,000 required to land it on the November ballot.

• Joe Sanberg, the Los Angeles investor behind the proposed ballot measure: “Tacking 50 cents onto the current minimum wage doesn’t come close to making ends meet for working families. We need a living wage of $18 per hour to keep pace with inflation so that working people and their families can afford food and a place to live without having to take on second and third jobs.”
• California’s current minimum wage is $15 per hour for employers with at least 26...

Read Full Story: https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/05/california-minimum-wage/