ONE BIG THING: COUNCIL APPROVES WAGE THEFT MOTION
What Happened?
In a 12-2 vote on Wednesday, City Council approved our motion to give the City the authority to enforce existing wage theft laws.
Right now the Office of Wage Standards – the city agency in charge of enforcing labor standards – can only prosecute violations of the citywide minimum wage. But the majority of wage theft violations come from other things like missed rest breaks, unpaid overtime, and work off the clock.
This legislation gives the city the authority to enforce all wage theft violations – not just minimum wage- – so we can actually enforce the laws we have on the books.
Why it Matters
For too long, massive corporations have been given free rein to profit off the backs of LA residents who are struggling to get by. Wage theft doesn’t make the evening news like flashier crimes, so it’s never been a priority for the city.
But LA workers have more than $1.4 billion stolen from them every year from wage theft.
88% of low-wage workers experience wage theft, losing an average of 12% of their annual earnings.
The people who can least afford it are being cheated out of wages they earned, while corporate executives line their pockets with megayachts and private jets.
What’s Next?
The City Attorney will now write the ordinance (the actual law) before it comes back to the City Council for final approval in the coming months.
But passing the law is only the first step. The City must also invest in investigators and enforcement so we can hold bad actors accountable and return more of that $1.4 billion to the workers it belongs to.
Read more about wage theft in California here.
Two More Quick Hits
- Following the Evidence on Homelessness
This week, we introduced a set of motions to remove 12 revocable 41.18 enforcement zones in Council District 13, where people experiencing homelessness can be cited or arrested for sitting, sleeping, or lying down in public.
While these zones were created with the goal of addressing concerns around homelessness, our office and frontline service providers have found that repeated displacement can make it more difficult for outreach workers to maintain contact, build trust, and help people complete the process of moving into housing.
As we’ve worked to decrease street homelessness by 40% in CD13 over the past 3 years, we’ve been able to learn what is working, and what gets in the way. And if a policy makes it harder to get people indoors, we have to reconsider whether it’s achieving the goals we share.
This is about investing in what works, removing barriers to housing, and focusing on preventing longstanding encampments instead of shuffling them around.
- LAPD Officer Who Exposed Racist, Misogynist Behavior Faces 13 Years in Prison
On Tuesday, we introduced a resolution condemning Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman for his decision to charge LAPD Officer Daniel Flores with 16 felony counts after Flores reported racist, misogynistic, and homophobic conduct within LAPD’s recruitment unit – the unit responsible for evaluating and training future LAPD officers.
The District Attorney is sending a chilling message that reporting misconduct through official channels could lead to retaliation and prosecution. As we work to build a more just city that looks out for the public safety of all Angelenos – this sends us in the opposite direction.
Read more from Frank Stoltze in LAist
CD13 Pet of the Week
Meet Frida, our pet of the week!
This sweet girl, is an Armenian Gampr, an ancient native aboriginal family & livestock guardian whose roots date back to 12,000 BCE…the more you know 🌈
She’s beautiful, her aura is through the roof and Frida is merely at the beginning of her life so you can definitely expect her to grow stronger & taller by the day!
Looking for a great companion & best friend? Visit Frida at East Valley today!
