What are your thoughts about establishing a local minimum wage in El Cerrito?

The El Cerrito City Council is considering establishing a local minimum wage of $15 per hour to help low-wage earners in our community. State law currently requires a minimum wage for all employees of not less than $9 per hour, which will increase to $10 per hour after January 1, 2016. Cities have the local authority to require a higher minimum wage for employees working within the City. A number of cities in the Bay Area (including Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond, Berkeley, Emeryville, San Jose, and others) have recently adopted local minimum wage ordinances.

In March 2015, the City Council included establishing a local “living wage” as a strategy towards achieving the goal of “Ensuing the public’s health and safety”. On August 18, 2015, the Council directed staff to draft an ordinance creating a local minimum wage of $15 per hour by either 2018 or 2020. You can review information presented at the August 18, 2015 Council Meeting.

As we explore this topic, we would like to get an idea of how the community feels about the City of El Cerrito establishing a local minimum wage for all employers operating in El Cerrito. Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback. The responses collected on this forum will be shared with the City Council as they consider this matter.