The City’s Lowest Wage Earners Get a Pay Raise

The Irvine City Council approved a “living wage” ordinance, setting wages for the lowest paid City employees and contract workers well above the state minimum wage.
 
The measure, approved during the Council’s June 3rd meeting, sets a minimum wage for the City’s part-time and seasonal workers at $20 per hour. Full-time employees will be paid a minimum hourly wage of $25. These City minimums will also apply to employees of City contractors doing more than $200,000 annually in business with the City. The state’s minimum wage is currently $16.50 per hour.

“The basic question is what kind of workplace do we want to have?” said Mayor Larry Agran, who introduced the ordinance. “I want to know that in this City — known for our high quality of life — anybody working for the City of Irvine will be paid at least $20 an hour. We want our workforce to be properly compensated.”

Many of the City’s workers who perform critical services — including childcare workers, maintenance workers, and seasonal parks & recreation workers — currently earn about $16.50 an hour. Under Agran’s proposal, those workers would earn a “living wage” of $20 per hour.
 
City Manager Oliver Chi said the changes will affect 80 to 100 seasonal and part-time workers and “a few” full-time workers, and will cost the City roughly $200,000 to $300,000 annually.
 
Irvine previously had a living wage ordinance from 2007 until 2015. Restoring the ordinance has been a priority for Mayor Agran since he rejoined the Council in 2020. He highlighted the issue in his Mayoral campaign last year and during his State of the City address in February.  
 
Agran’s motion to adopt the ordinance was seconded by Councilmember Mike Carroll. Councilmembers Betty Martinez Franco, Melinda Liu and William Go all spoke in favor of Agran’s motion.
 
Councilmember Go recalled his stint as a seasonal City employee. “As a lifeguard, we went through extensive training and certification,” he said. “You expect someone to save your kid’s life and pay them just $16.50 an hour. It’s a little out of balance when fast-food workers are already making $20 an hour.”
 
The living wage ordinance passed 6-1, with Vice Mayor James Mai voting NO.
 
After the vote, Mayor Agran said: “This vote is a statement regarding how we feel about our employees and the important work they do. They care for our children, maintain our best-in-the-state park system, and make sure our City facilities are clean and in top-notch shape at all times.”