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Santa Clarita Valley employers are preparing for a minimum wage hike effective Jan. 1, 2016, although some employers will eventually be paying a higher minimum than others in Los Angeles County.

Minimum Wage Hike To Affect Santa Clarita Businesses In 2016

Santa Clarita Valley employers are preparing for a minimum wage hike effective Jan. 1, 2016, although some employers will eventually be paying a higher minimum than others in Los Angeles County.


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California’s minimum wage will increase statewide to $10 per hour on Friday, and Los Angeles County will raise its minimum wage to $15, starting at $10 and then increasing over the next five years.

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation on Sept. 25, 2013, raising California’s minimum wage to $9 per hour on July 1, 2014, with a final adjustment to $10 per hour on January 1, 2016. It marked the first increase in California’s hourly minimum since 2008, when the minimum wage was raised 50 cents to $8.

Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti, in early June, signed into law a bill raising the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 over the next five years for Los Angeles. The move was expected after city council had passed the legislation by a near unanimous vote.

“The city of Santa Clarita has no plans to do any increases in minimum wage,” said Jason Crawford, Santa Clarita’s economic development manager. “We will just default to what the state does.”

Santa Clarita businesses located in the unincorporated areas of the Santa Clarita Valley will have to comply with the Los Angeles County minimum wage ruling, which will bring the minimum wage up to $10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2016 and eventually up to $15 per hour by 2020.

“It gets problematic when it comes to city and county lines,” said Assemblyman Scott Wilk.

For instance, one employee could be making $10 an hour while another just up the street makes $15 an hour doing the same thing, said Wilk.

“This creates an uneven playing field,” Wilk added.

There are 88 incorporated cities within Los Angeles County, each with its own city council. The areas that are not part of these cities are considered to be unincorporated County territory, according to the Los Angeles County County Department of Regional Planning.

More than 65 percent of Los Angeles County is unincorporated. For the one million people living in these areas, the Board of Supervisors and County Departments provide the municipal services.

Additional Information About Minimum Wage

State law requires employers to post information on wages, hours and working conditions at a worksite area accessible to employees.

Notices for the wage orders in English and Spanish can be downloaded and printed from the Workplace postings page on the DIR website.

Almost all employees in California must be paid the minimum wage as required by state law. Workers who are paid less than the minimum wage may file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner’s office.

DIR protects and improves the health, safety and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws.

DIR’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or DLSE, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office, enforces prevailing wage rates and apprenticeship standards in public works projects, inspects workplaces for wage and hour violations, adjudicates wage claims, investigates retaliation complaints, issues licenses and registrations for businesses and educates the public on labor laws.

Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734).

The California Workers’ Information line at 866-924-9757 provides recorded information in English and Spanish on a variety of work-related topics.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Minimum Wage Hike To Affect Santa Clarita Businesses In 2016

8 comments

  1. It’s really this simple and they should state it so.
    ANY business from WEST of I5 HAVE to pay the higher wage.
    ANY business “within” the city….Doesn’t.
    Therefore…those from Stevenson Ranch PAY higher others Don’t.

    It’s that simple.

  2. Whoever wrote this should get their facts correct. When Mayor Eric Garcetti signs something, it is for the City of Los Angeles NOT the county.
    Thank you.

    • The article is not written the clearest but both the City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles passed minimum wage increases to $15 hour. So the unincorporated areas will eventually go to $15 as well as the City of LA.

  3. And businesses will increase prices, cost of living will go up as a result, and the wage hikes will wash out. Nice move, Moonbeam. How about lowering our taxes on things like gas instead? And appropriating funds as intended (ie that emergency draught fund that went who knows where???)

  4. I’ve been in business 31 years. Always paid more than minimum wage. Never hurt me one bit. Cost of housing, gasoline, utilities, taxes and “fees” of all sorts have risen devastating those on the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Fifteen dollars an hour is a reasonable start towards a fair minimum wage. As a business person I have ways to offset increases in my expenses. In fact I have already priced that increase into my calculus. Any forward thinking business has done so as well. Folks on minimum wage do not have the luxury of that kind of adjustment. Work more hours you say! How? When employers keep many folks to under 28 hours to avoid health care costs. Work two jobs you say! Have you tried that? It’s not so simple to coordinate 2 fluid part time schedules. I care not if my latte or sushi costs rise. I’ll manage. Folks on minimum wage choose between groceries and heat, rent and school supplies. These are the kinds of decisions they have to make every day.

    • Bless you Steve for looking out for the less fortunate. If I knew what your business is I would support it for sure. There are just too many greedy people in this world who only think of themselves. Our economic reports contiinue to state a rise in employment but they do not take into account that many of these jobs are in the minimum wage or slightly over catigory. These wage earners cannot help our economy grow because they have such little disposable income. This raise in the minimum wage is a small step in the right direction so people out there quit complaining about the extra few cents you may pay for your fast food or fancy coffee. Think of it as helping your fellow man/woman.

    • You sir, are awesome.

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About Kimberly Beers

Kimberly Beers is a Santa Clarita native. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from California State University, Northridge in 2013. While attending the university, she focused her attention on news writing and worked as a primary news writer for the campus' award winning radio station and televised news program. She began writing news stories for KHTS in 2014 and hopes to have a lifetime career dedicated to writing and sharing the news