NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE PETITION

SANTA MONICA LIVING WAGE CHARTER AMENDMENT

 
Notice is hereby given by the person whose name appears below of his intention to circulate the petition within the City of Santa Monica for the purpose of amending the City Charter to require businesses which enter into service contracts with the City or which receive City financial assistance to compensate employees engaged in providing those services with a "living wage."  A statement of the reasons of the proposed action as contemplated in the petition is as follows:

Santa Monica Living Wage Charter Amendment

The City of Santa Monica contracts with many service companies to do work which would otherwise be done by City workers.  The City also sometimes provides financial assistance to businesses in order to stimulate economic development and job growth.  Companies which benefit from these contracts and financial assistance should pay their workers more than the California minimum wage of $5.75 per hour.

This Charter amendment would require businesses which provide services to the City or which receive financial assistance for economic development or job growth from the City to pay their workers a "Living Wage."  The measure would not apply to tax exempt entities such as nonprofit agencies and schools, employees subject to collective bargaining agreements, or governmental entities.

This Charter Amendment generally would:

  • Require employers which receive at least $25,000 in City contracts for services to pay their workers a Living Wage of at least $8.32 an hour if health benefits are provided, or $9.46 an hour if health benefits are not provided.

  • Require employers which receive direct City financial assistance for economic development or job growth of $100,000 in any year or $25,000 or more on a continuing basis to pay their workers a Living Wage of at least $8.32 an hour if health benefits are provided, or $9.46 an hour if health benefits are not provided.

  • Adjust annually the Living Wage to compensate for inflation by tying it to the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles Area.

  • Require all covered employers to provide their workers with at least 12 paid and 10 unpaid days off.

  • Require all covered employers to inform their eligible workers of their right to the Earned Income Credit, a federal tax credit that provides thousands of dollars in cash back to working families.

  • Generally prohibit the City from establishing wage or benefit levels for private employers, and require any ordinances establishing wage or benefit levels for private employers to be submitted to the voters.

  • Require any proposed future changes in the Living Wage to be submitted to the voters.

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This page was last modified on 01/23/2008