Thanks to a bump in his pay last summer, Norberto Ruiz was able to afford a $150 air conditioner to keep his family’s two-bedroom home in North Hollywood from feeling like a furnace when temperatures soared.
The Honduran immigrant, who works at a liquor store in West Hollywood, saw his hourly pay jump by $1 to $16. For the first time, the 53-year-old, his wife, two daughters and in-laws could enjoy the simple pleasure of a slightly chilled living room, due chiefly to a small pay raise.
“I don’t think people understand how much an extra dollar or two can change people’s lives,” Ruiz said. “We’ll never be a rich family, but at least we can be happy.”
Ruiz and many low-wage workers will see another increase Saturday, when West Hollywood will officially have the highest minimum wage in the nation: $19.08 an hour. That puts the city of 35,000 people ahead of Seattle, San Francisco and Denver.
The increase comes at a time of rising rent, gas prices and inflation.
Employers facing financial hardships can apply for a one-year delay via a waiver with the city. Still, many small-business owners in West Hollywood are speaking out against the higher wage, saying they are reaching a breaking point and need relief to avoid closing.
“These pay increases are about superficiality and about opportunistic politicians who are just trying to make a name for themselves,” said West Hollywood restaurateur Lucian Tudor, a Romanian immigrant. “They don’t make any sense for small businesses who...
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