Existing law requires that California's minimum wage for all
industries be no less than $9 per hour effective July 1, 2014 and
$10 per hour effective January 1, 2016. Even before the second-tier
increase goes into effect, new legislation has been introduced
seeking to further increase California's minimum wage.
On February 3, 2014, Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced a
bill to override the legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last
year, and increase California's minimum wage to $11 per hour in
2015, $12 per hour in 2016, and $13 per hour in 2017. The increases
would take effect January 1 of each year.
Starting in 2018, the new bill calls for automatic annual increases
based on inflation. However, the bill specifically prohibits the
Industrial Welfare Commission from decreasing the minimum wage
following years of negative inflation. The bill was approved in the
California Senate and proceeded to the Assembly on May 29, 2014. In
the end, such proposed legislation may ultimately be vetoed by
Governor Brown if he chooses to do so.
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