At a special meeting called during its August recess, San Diego City Council voted 6-2 on Aug. 18 to override Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s veto of the city’s hourly minimum-wage ordinance, which provides incrementally increased pay over three years and five days’ earned sick leave. The law is aimed mostly at helping low-paid restaurant and retail workers.
The ordinance sets San Diego’s minimum wage at $11.50 per hour, implemented over three years, to increase to $9.75 in January, $10.50 in January 2016 and $11.50 in January of 2017. Wages will then be modified to the Consumer Price Index beginning in January 2019. The ordinance was originally passed by the City Council along strict party lines, 6-3, on June 14 before being vetoed by Faulconer on Aug. 8. The city charter allows the council to reconsider any resolution or ordinance the mayor vetoes and can override the mayor’s veto with six votes.
Republican City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf was absent and did not vote on the override.
San Diego is among several cities across the country joining a push by Democrats and labor groups to increase the minimum wage at the local and state level as Republicans in Congress oppose raising the current federal minimum-wage floor of $7.25 an hour. The California minimum wage is currently $9 per hour and will climb to $10 in July.
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce has promised to try to roll back the wage increase through a referendum. It has until Sept. 17 to gather 34,000 signatures to qualify the referendum for the June 2016 ballot.
Council President Todd Gloria said that will require city officials and residents to debate the issue for nearly two years.