New State Minimum Wage

Effective January 1, 2019, the State minimum wage increases to $12.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and $11.50 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees.

New Local Minimum Wages

Additionally, several California cities and counties have passed their own minimum wage ordinances with a more aggressive schedule of minimum wage increases.

Effective January 1, 2019, local minimum wage increases include the following:

Locality	Minimum Wage Eff. 1/1/19
Belmont	$13.50
Cupertino	$15.00
El Cerrito	$15.00
Los Altos	$15.00
Mountain View	$15.65
Palo Alto	$15.00
Richmond	$15.00
San Diego	$15.00
San Jose	$15.00
San Mateo	Employers: $15.00 501(c)(3) Nonprofits: $13.50
Santa Clara	$15.00
Sunnyvale	$15.65

 

Recently Enacted Local Minimum Wages

 

As a reminder, other California cities and counties increased their local minimum wages in 2018. As of October 1, 2018, the minimum wage in Berkeley increased to $15.00 per hour.

On July 1, 2018, the minimum wage also increased for the following cities and counties:

Locality	Minimum Wage Eff. 7/1/18
Emeryville	Large businesses (56 or more employees): $15.69 Small businesses (55 or more employees): $15.00
City and County of Los Angeles	26 or more employees: $13.25 25 or fewer employees/non-profit corporations: $12.00
Malibu	26 or more employees: $13.25 25 or fewer employees: $12.00
Milpitas	$13.50
Pasadena	26 or more employees: $13.25 25 or fewer employees: $12.00
San Francisco	$15.00
San Leandro	$13.00
Santa Monica	26 or more employees: $13.25 25 or fewer employees: $12.00

 

Employers with employees working in any of these cities – even if only on a temporary basis – should review their wage structure and implement any necessary changes for compliance purposes, including recordkeeping and notice requirements.  If you have any questions, please contact your Hanson Bridgett attorney.

 

For a summary of other new employment laws taking effect on January 1, 2019, see our prior Labor & Employment Alert.