Click here to subscribe to our Bowles Law e-letter
Click here to subscribe to our Bowles Law e-letter
California minimum wage is currently $14.00/hour for larger employers (26 or more employees) and $13.00/hour for employers with 25 or fewer. The final 2016 Senate Bill (SB) 3 increase to $15.00/hour will occur on January 1, 2022 for larger employers and January 1, 2023 for the rest. See California’s Gradual Increases in Minimum Wage, to Reach $15.00 Per Hour by January 1, 2022 (April, 2016).
The municipalities below have ordinances directing higher minimums than the current state standards, some with midyear increases as indicated. Most have a single rate for larger and smaller employers.
City or CountyMinimum Wage Rate Alameda$15.00 (effective July 1, 2021)Belmont$15.90Berkeley$16.32 (effective July 1, 2021)Burlingame$15.00Cupertino$15.65Daly City $15.00El Cerrito$15.61Emeryville$17.13 (effective July 1, 2021)Fremont$15.25 (26+ employees)(effective July 1, 2021)$15.00 (25 or fewer employees)(effective July 1, 2021)Half Moon Bay$15.00Hayward$14.00 (25 or fewer employees) and$15.00 (26 or more employees)Los Altos$15.65Los Angeles City $15.00 (effective July 1, 2021)Los Angeles County (Unincorporated Areas)$15.00 (effective July 1, 2021)Malibu$15.00 (effective July 1, 2021)Menlo Park$15.25Milpitas$15.65 (effective July 1, 2021)Mountain View$16.30Novato$14.00 (25 or fewer employees)$15.00 (26+ employees)$15.24 (100+ employees)Oakland $14.36Palo Alto$15.65Pasadena $15.00 (effective July 1, 2021)Petaluma$15.20Redwood City$15.62Richmond$15.21San Carlos$15.24San Diego$14.00San Francisco City and County$16.32 (effective July 1, 2021)San Jose $15.45San Leandro$15.00San Mateo$15.62Santa Clara$15.65Santa Monica$15.00 (effective July 1, 2021)Santa Rosa$15.20Sonoma$14.00 (25 or fewer employees) and$15.00 (26+ employees)South San Francisco$15.25Sunnyvale$16.30
Employers must review the information for their location(s) and conspicuously post the current wage notice for each applicable jurisdiction, which can be downloaded through the links above.
Companies whose employees work in more than one location also need to be aware that different minimums may apply. A company with workers in two or more locations may find it simplest to apply the highest required minimum to all employees.
Some cities have different minimum wage laws for hotels. Effective July 1, those rates will be: Long Beach ($15.69); Santa Monica ($17.64) and City of Los Angeles ($17.64).
The UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education publishes regular updates.
See also:
For more information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.
Helena Kobrin
June 10, 2021
If you are an employer facing possible litigation, or have an employee issue on which you need immediate guidance, call us to set up a consultation, or submit your message.
NOTE: Use of this website does not make one a client of the Law Offices of Timothy Bowles (“Firm” or “Bowles Law”). Establishing an attorney-client relationship and the confidentiality that comes with it depends on the Firm’s prior confirmation that no factor, including any conflict of interest (for example, our representation of another party adverse to you), exists to prevent that establishment. If you have confidential information that you would like to provide a Bowles Law attorney, please communicate directly to one of our attorneys, in person, by telephone, email, fax or other written means. Do not use this website to offer or communicate confidential information about any legal matter.