Mixer: What other cities can teach LA about the minimum wage

The Los Angeles City Council

is moving forward on a plan to raise the citywide minimum wage to $15 by 2020, up from the current $9 an hour.

Labor leaders call it a major step forward for lifting workers out of poverty.

But some business leaders – particularly restaurant owners – are pushing back. They want an exemption for workers who earn tips.

The issue of raising the minimum wage plan has been in the city ether for a while. Mayor Eric Garcetti has wanted to make it a pillar of his administration, as a part of addressing poverty.

But the plan approved in council committee this week seems a little different from Garcetti’s plan.

Earlier this week, there was an amendment added by Council President Herb Wesson at the last minute that added 12 days of paid time off. Some council members were not so happy about that and it was removed today.

There have been myriad studies done – among them by the business community, and by UC-Berkeley – which give a glimpse of how a minimum wage hike will affect the community. Both, as you can imagine, had different results.

Meanwhile, the Bay Area is no stranger to minimum wage hikes. To be sure, Oakland passed one not-too-long ago, and San Francisco is actually in the process of raising its wage as well.

What’s been the reaction and fallout there?

Joe Garofoli covers politics and tech for the San Francisco Chronicle, and Emily Alpert Reyes is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

Both joined us for the Mixer.

Next week, KCRW will offer a week-long series into raising the minimum wage in Los Angeles.