Three months after proposing a ballot measure to increase the minimum wage in San Diego, City Council President Todd Gloria is scheduled Wednesday to release details of the plan — including an amount.
Gloria will make the announcement at a noon news conference at City Hall. He will be joined by Councilwoman Sherri Lightner and Peter Brownell, the research director of the Center on Policy Initiatives.
Gloria has not previously specified an amount for the lowest wage workers but has said he wants a "meaningful'" increase in the minimum wage for all people working in San Diego.
The initiative would also tie the pay rate to a cost-of-living index that would be updated annually; allow a phase-in period that gives more time for small businesses and nonprofits to raise pay; and give five days of earned sick leave for all employees, regardless of industry or business type.
The minimum wage in California is $8 per hour. The state plans an increase to $9 an hour in July and $10 an hour in two years.
The Center on Policy Initiatives, which supports a wage increase, estimates that a single person living on a stripped-down budget needs to make a $13.09 hourly wage to live in San Diego. Around 300,000 households in the region have incomes too low to meet basic expenses, according to the CPI.
Some interest groups have called for an even higher minimum wage. Gloria has cautioned supporters that a ballot measure needs to be crafted so that it will be passed by voters.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilman Mark Kersey have called for an independent study on the potential impact of a minimum wage increase. Business groups say they want to see the proposed amount before they take a stand on the issue.
Lightner and Councilwoman Myrtle Cole and Marti Emerald have expressed support for Gloria's proposal. Councilman David Alvarez supports the concept, according to his spokeswoman.
The San Diego Organizing Project plans a rally this evening in Barrio Logan to convince Alvarez to fully climb on board with the proposal.
