The statewide minimum wage has not been changed in nearly a decade. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law in 2016 to boost it to $15 an hour and to automatically adjust it for inflation.
While California’s minimum wage is among the highest in the country and more than twice as much as the federal requirement, many workers are still struggling with a skyrocketing cost of living. The current minimum wage pencils out to about $33,000 a year, and the average cost of living is about $53,082 a year, according to recent federal data.
The measure is led by Joe Sanberg, a wealthy Los Angeles investor and anti-poverty activist.
“This measure passing will mean three meals per day instead of two meals per day,” Sanberg said. “Or the ability to pay for important healthcare, rent or clothes. Every dollar matters.”