California’s Minimum Wage Increase Takes Effect This Week But Pasadena Unaffected

The minimum wage for most hourly employees in California increases to $16.00 this week. While the pay increase applies to the entire state, some cities —  Pasadena included — have higher minimum hourly wages already in place. 

Fast Food Restaurant employers, effective April 1, 2024, and Healthcare Facility employers, effective June 1, 2024, will be required to pay higher minimum wages.

The hourly pay increase on New Year’s Day is part of California law that gradually raises the minimum wage from $10 an hour in 2017 to $16.00 an hour in 2024. 

Last June, Pasadena adopted a Minimum Wage Ordinance which increased the minimum wage in Pasadena from $16.11 to $16.93 on July 1.

Pasadena originally adopted its own minimum wage ordinance in 2016. In effect, the wage increased on July 1, 2016 to $10.50 and increased by $1.25 every year on July 1 until it reached $15 in 2020.

“Pasadena adopted its own minimum wage ordinance in 2016 with strong support from a variety of community and labor groups, as well as low wage earners and members of the immigrant community,” said Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian in June 2022. 

This most recent increase from $16.11 per hour was based upon the Consumer Price Index as set by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for all urban consumers for the Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside consolidated metropolitan statistical area.

Future modifications to the Pasadena minimum wage will similarly occur each July 1st and will also be pegged to the consumer price index.

The CPI measures the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.

Meanwhile, besides Pasadena, the state wage increase on Jan. 1 will also not apply to L.A. County which was raised to $16.90 on July 1, also.