In a victory for workers, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to raise the minimum wage to $16.50 an hour, effective spring 2023.
Passed measure 5-0 will apply to unincorporated areas including North Fair Oaks and its Middlefield Road commercial corridor and agricultural land stretching from Pacifica to Pescadero.
The chairman of the board, Don Horsley, who co-proposed the increase with Supervisor Dave Pine, said the increase in paychecks will help stimulate the economy and support families and individuals living in an increasingly expensive area.
"The pandemic deliberately demonstrated that we have workers who are considered essential in a variety of industries, but must choose between food, housing and other necessities just to make ends meet," Horsley said.
“A vital, but often invisible section of our workforce is farmworkers who help put food on our tables. While some farmworkers earn more than the minimum wage, this increase will ensure they have more money in their pockets each week."
Eleven of the county's 20 cities, representing more than 70 percent of the population, have already increased the minimum wage within their borders to a rate above the state's base wage.
The average minimum wage within cities that have instituted their own ordinances is just over $16.50 per hour as of 2023. Raising the minimum wage in unincorporated areas will create more consistency across jurisdictions.
"This ordinance will improve the lives of workers and their families," Pine said. "When we improve the lives of local residents, we improve the stability and vitality of entire communities."
Officials said they understand concerns that raising base pay can spell challenges for small businesses already impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising costs of doing business.
However, they explained that raising the countywide minimum wage levels the playing field for all businesses, while improving the purchasing power of workers.
The increase approved on November 15 will take effect on April 1, 2023, allowing time to educate the public and allow local businesses to adjust to the new requirement, the county said in a statement.
Wage in unincorporated communities would increase at the same rate as the state minimum wage every January 1.
In California, the minimum wage for all employers, regardless of size, will increase to $15.50 per hour on January 1, 2023, while at the federal level, the minimum wage for covered non-exempt employees is $7.25 per hour. .
In cases where an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages.
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