City Council Narrowly OKs Living-Wage Policy

A divided City Council, unable to agree on how to push contractors to better compensate lower-paid employees, approved a living-wage policy that will go into effect Oct. 1.

Dozens of people attended the meeting Tuesday night to encourage council members to pass an ordinance--which they consider more binding than a policy--to raise wages to at least $9 an hour.

But if contractors do not comply, Oxnard’s city manager can terminate their services and impose fines, officials said. The fines would be paid to the affected employees, said City Atty. Gary Gillig.

Some council members argued that the city already has too many laws that are not enforced, and that the policy could be revisited to add health-care benefits.

In approving the living-wage policy, on a 3-2 vote, the council also agreed to an oversight committee to monitor contractor wages. The policy is projected to eventually cost the city as much as $1.7 million.

Initially, some lower-paid city employees and those working for city contractors would receive an hourly raise of 50 cents. By the end of 2005, workers would receive at least $12.22 an hour and be granted 96 hours of paid leave each year.

“We have changed significantly the way the city operates, the way it treats its workers,” said Marcos Vargas, an activist with the Ventura County Living Wage Coalition. “We did want an ordinance ... but this is a tremendous victory.”