City Council Backs Measure to Raise Minimum Wage for Health Care Workers

The Culver City Council this week backed a proposal to raise the minimum wage for health care workers, approved minor changes to the Housing Element and rejected the idea to ban commercial and informational booths at Fiesta La Ballona.

At its Monday night, the Council voted 3-2 to direct staff to draft an ordinance establishing a minimum wage of $25 for workers in health care facilities in Culver City. The dissenting votes were cast by Mayor Albert Vera and Councilmember Goran Eriksson.

Vera mentioned he was concerned about the impacts the new wage would have on local health care facilities, particularly the non-profit clinics and he wanted city staff to thoroughly study the matter prior to any decision.

But Mayor Daniel Lee maintained that Southern California Hospital at Culver City was short staff and would need to raise the minimum to attract more employees and continue to provide vital services to the community.

His sentiments were echoed by Councilmembers Alex Fisch and Yasmine McMorrin who also voted to move forward with the proposal.

In another matter, the Council passed a revised Housing Element which identifies and plans for its housing needs between 2021 and 2029.

In April, Culver City received comments from the state on the third draft of Housing Element stating that “additional minor revisions were necessary to certify the Housing Element, including stronger substantiation for the likelihood of redevelopment on some sites and a deeper analysis of fair housing issues,” civic officials said.

City staff said the modified Housing Element addressed the three areas of concerns: concentrated areas of affluence, local data and knowledge, and realistic capacity. The update will be resubmitted shortly to the state for certification.

On Monday night, the Council unanimously rejected without much debate a proposal to ban informational and commercial booths at Fiesta to create space for family-friendly activities and retain sponsor and governmental agency booths.

Council observers said that decision was prompted by the City Attorney who advised the panel on the risks of such a targeted ban.