Following Pasadena's passage in March of a new ordinance which will raise the minimum wage in the city to $15 an hour by 2020, both business owners and people who work in Pasadena were left with two major questions — how will this raise actually be implemented and monitored, and how will the new law be enforced?
City Hall's Minimum Wage Internal Working Group has a plan. The detailed proposal was made public last Thursday in an informational report.
The Group is recommending that the overall program be administered by a code compliance manager working within the department of Planning and Community Development. The initial outreach of the ordinance to media, residents and businesses, will be managed by the Council's Economic Development Committee, and the City's public information officer. Staff training in the legal requirements of the ordinance will be handled by the City Attorney's office.
Consumer outreach and education will be managed by the consumer action teams of the Recreation and Human Services Department, who will also manage intake and complaints regarding wage enforcement and refer them to the Code Compliance manager. Egregious cases may also be referred to the Prosecutor's Office, working with the Police Department.
The initial cost of the action is estimated to be $204,000, divided among the Planning and Community Development Department, the Recreation and Community Services department, and the City Attorney's office. An additional $175,000 will be allocated in future budgets for a Compliance Manger and ongoing outreach.
The City Council's finance committee will meet on May 9 to budget for the new costs, including the code compliance officer.
Much of the future discussion of the wage ordinance is expected to be centered around its impact on the City's business community, as well as the City ability to manage any related issues that may arise in its implementation.
And at least one business leader is predicting calamitous results in the city due to the new ordinance.
Pasadena is among 18 cities in California which have raised minimum wages, ahead of Governor Brown's passage of a state-wide minimum wage raise. The state ordinance raises wages to $15 an hour by 2022. The City and County of Los Angeles have also announced new minimum wage ordinances to go into effect this year.