Posted on 12/16/2024
ONE BIG THING: LIVING WAGE APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL
What Happened?
After years of organizing by hotel and airport workers, the City Council approved our Living Wage motion in a landmark 12-3 vote. This means tourism workers in LA are one step closer to earning a minimum wage of:
đź’¸$22.50/hr by July 2025
đź’¸$25/hr by July 2026
đź’¸$30/hr by July 2028
Additionally, hotel workers will gain access to a healthcare plan credit for the first time, allowing them and their families to get the affordable care they need.
Why it Matters
23,000 workers will earn pay increases with the new Living Wage, with a $3.87/hr increase on average for airport workers, and $6.24/hr increase on average for hotel workers by 2026.
Many of these essential workers are on the verge of homelessness, struggling with food insecurity, unable to afford child care, or forced to work multiple full-time jobs.
An independent study commissioned by the city confirms the transformative impact of this policy:
➡️6,300 NEW jobs
➡️$1.2 BILLION increase in our region’s GDP
➡️Over $100 million increased income for workers within four years
What's Next?
With City Council approval secured, the City Attorney will draft the law, which will return to Council for a final vote early next year.
Three More Quick Hits!
1. 18 More Residents Helped off the Streets!
Over the past two weeks in partnership with Mayor Bass’ team, we were able to help 18 people move off the streets and into hotel/motel rooms as they get connected to permanent housing.
As we continue to help a record number of residents move safely indoors into temporary housing, we’re thrilled that permanent housing move-ins this year nearly doubled compared to 2022 when we took office, showing serious signs of progress after decades of backsliding.
2. Mansion Tax Implementation and Guidelines
In just over a year, Measure ULA has already:
âś…Prevented 11,000 Angelenos from falling into homelessness because of Emergency Rental Assistance.
âś…Created 10,000 union jobs.
âś…Funded the construction of 795 affordable homes, including the Santa Monica x Western affordable housing complex in District 13, which is nearing completion.
And that’s just the beginning. Now that the full implementation guidelines are in place, we can start building LA’s first social housing projects in decades, and expand the right to a lawyer for renters facing eviction.
3. Banning Toxic Oil Well Acidization
Yesterday, we seconded a motion from Councilmembers Yaroslavsky and McOsker to prevent oil well acidization – a dangerous practice where toxic chemicals are injected into wells to extract more oil and gas. While workers wear hazmat suits during the process, our neighbors, schools, and businesses near these wells remain unprotected.
A new state law taking effect on January 1, 2025 allows the city to regulate or ban this practice, and we’re proud to stand with our colleagues to protect our neighborhoods from these toxic chemicals as soon as possible.