Minimum Wage Addressed by City Council

Council members talk about what a minimum wage would mean for South Pasadenans. The issue is expected to come back to the council at a later date

PHOTO: City of South Pasadena | SouthPasadenan.com News | A new art gallery is scheduled to open at South Pasadena City Hall.

South Pasadena City Council could be looking at setting a minimum wage much like other Los Angeles County cities have done.

The issue came up as part of council communications during Wednesday’s regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall.

Los Angeles, Pasadena Malibu and Santa Monica are four cities that have established minimum wages. The City Council is asking city staff to look into it and determine what it would mean.

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“From a staff perspective, it obviously means gauging the business community involving the Chamber [of Commerce],” explained the John Pope, the city’s public information officer. “That could be a few months down the line to take a pulse of the business community.”

The City of South Pasadena doesn’t currently have a cost of living structure. “Do we set our own? That’s the question,” said Pope.

In June, the minimum wage rose from $12 per hour to $13.25 per hour for businesses with 26 or more employees in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Malibu and Santa Monica. For businesses with 25 or fewer employees, the minimum wage increased from $10.50 an hour to $12 an hour.