Governor says he backs California minimum wage hike

A customer leaves a Wal-Mart store in Mountain View, Calif. The California Legislature is close to passing a bill to raise the minimum wage for workers by $2 an hour over two years.

By Marc Lifsher

Sept. 11, 2013 12 AM PT

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Jerry Brown says he supports a bill in the Legislature that would boost the California minimum wage next year and in 2016 by a total of $2 an hour.

The bill, AB 10 by Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Watsonville), is now before the state Senate and must win final passage from the Legislature before a Friday recess.

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“The minimum wage has not kept pace with rising costs,” the governor said in a statement released by his office. “This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy.”

The bill is opposed by a coalition of employers, including the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Retailers Assn. and the California Restaurant Assn.

AB 10 would raise the current $8-an-hour minimum wage to $9 on July 1, 2014, and to $10 on Jan. 1, 2016.

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