Two more ballot initiatives collected enough valid signatures from Laguna Beach voters to qualify for the ballot, the Orange County Registrar of Voters said Wednesday.
The first would set an $18 per hour minimum wage for hotel workers and see that wage annually increase by a dollar per hour until 2026. The second would require a public vote on hotel construction, major remodels, and certain minor remodels.
Both initiatives are supported by a political action committee formed last October and sponsored by the Southern California hospitality workers union UNITE HERE Local 11. The committee’s treasurer is Ada Briceño, Democratic Party of Orange County Chairwoman and co-president of UNITE-HERE Local 11. Briceño didn’t return requests for comment Wednesday.
“Growth is a huge issue in local government and it’s one of the powers that local governments have and it scares the hell out of developers. People want to control the environment they spend so much money to be a part of,” said Fred Smoller, Chapman University associate professor of political science.
The City Council must vote to either pass the initiatives into city law or place the initiatives on a special election or consolidate with the November General Election. If councilmembers go with the latter option, Laguna Beach voters could face an increasingly crowded ballot that already has three council seats up for grabs and the major development initiative driven by Laguna Resident First PAC.
Three initiatives would be a...
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