City Council Pondering Higher Minimum Wage in CC

At its Monday’s meeting, the City Council voted 3-2 to create an ad hoc subcommittee to study the potential development of an ordinance setting a Culver City minimum wage. The dissenting votes were cast by Vice Mayor Albert Vera and Councilmember Goran Eriksson.

Vera and Councilmember Yasmine McMorrin were named to the ad hoc panel which will also review the minimum wages in neighboring cities and LA County and their impacts on their business communities and economies.

In its report to Council, city staff said most neighboring cities have minimum wages ranging from $15 to $17.

Eriksson, who voted against the panel, maintained the market usually dictate the minimum wage in any community and added that businesses have recently raised wages to attract personnel during the pandemic.

Although he volunteered to serve on the ad hoc committee, Vera voted against the proposal, stating that city staff is already swamped with other Council directives at this time.

Business leaders told city officials that a higher minimum wage “would be an additional burden on businesses, which are still struggling and recovering from the unprecedented pandemic…and will have a detrimental effect on our local economy and community.”

But councilmembers countered that wages have been stagnant for a long time and “workers need to make a livable wage.”