Workers at fast-food restaurants and in minimum-wage jobs can expect a pay bump soon, courtesy of higher wage floors adopted by California lawmakers and more than two dozen cities across the state.
In California, the minimum wage is currently $15.50 per hour, but it rises to $16 per hour starting Jan. 1, according to the state’s Department of Industrial Relations.
For workers in several cities, the pay bump may be more significant. Twenty-seven cities across the state adopted new minimum-wage laws this year, according to a study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and the pay increases are set to take place Jan. 1.
Because the cities’ minimum wage exceeds the state’s floor, workers would be entitled to the higher wage set by their municipality.
According to the labor center, 58 counties and cities across the country have minimum-wage laws. Most of them are in California.
In Oakland, the city approved a minimum wage of $16.50 an hour for 2024. In the city of Mountain View, local officials set a minimum wage of $18.75 an hour for next year, more than $2 above the state minimum.
For fast-food workers, the increased pay will be a bit more significant.
A new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September — codifying a deal reached between fast-food companies and unions — will boost minimum wages for many fast-food workers to $20 per hour, starting April 1.
That wage floor, which will apply to chains that have more than 60 locations across the country, is estimated to affect more than 500,000 workers.
Here are the California cities that will have higher minimum wages in effect, starting Jan. 1:
The UC Berkeley Labor Center tracks cities and counties that have adopted their own minimum wage, usually higher than their states. Others boosted their wage floors previously; for example, the minimum wage is $19.08 in West Hollywood and is $16.78 in Los Angeles, both of which will be adjusted later in 2024 for inflation.
