The West Hollywood City Council has approved an order to raise the city’s minimum wage per hour to make it $17.64 in or before July 2023. If it is increased to that wage, it would be the highest in the United States of America. A gradual hike would start next year before getting to the full wage by July 2023.
Councilor Lindsey Horvath tweeted that the level of rates for everyday products is actually increasing everywhere, making it increasingly expensive to work, live and bring up kids. In the same tweet, Horvath stated that the wage should show that actuality. Horvath takes pride in being involved in the thoughtful measure for West Hollywood. She reckoned that the wealth created from a raised minimum wage would contribute to increasing middle-class people, driving more customer spending as well as making a more prosperous, business-friendly and stable economy.
Not every business owner from West Hollywood was amused with the time when the order came. Reality TV personality Lisa Vanderpump is among the vocal leaders who oppose the ordinance. Vanderpump is the owner of Tom Tom and Pump, two West Hollywood restaurants. She stated that the council should have given businesses more time for recovering from the epidemic before it enforced a worker wage hike. The reality TV personality also stated that tipped workers should not come in the tier identical to the ones applicable to workers who earn no tips.
Vanderpump wrote to the city council discussing a possibility for West Hollywood to enforce a tiered worker wage structure. As for her, the structure would be fair to workers and could be maintained for businesses. In her letter, Vanderpump also urged the council to create different wage structures for hospitality workers who get tips. Thus, she wrote that the council could make a sustainable structure that protects hourly workers and allows businesses to stay operational while employing them.
California has $14 an hour as the minimum wage for businesses that have 24 workers and $13 as the hourly wage that applies to businesses with no more than 26 workers. In 2022, there will be a $1 increase to the two wages in California.