Los Angeles lawmakers have advanced a measure that would make the city home to the nation’s highest minimum wage, approving a plan to raise hourly pay to $30 for tens of thousands of tourism workers by 2028, the year the city is set to host the Olympic Games.
The Los Angeles City Council voted 12-3 on Wednesday to approve the proposal, which applies to hotels with more than 60 rooms and businesses operating at Los Angeles International Airport.
Why It Matters
The tourism industry is one of the top five employers in Los Angeles County, supporting more than 540,000 Angelenos, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA).
However, there have been growing concerns about the sector, which has not fully rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Los Angeles only saw 79 percent of the number of international visitors it had in 2019, according to the AHLA. The association warned that “slower-than-anticipated pandemic recovery” coupled with other factors, including the wildfires, have massively impacted the tourism industry.
Industry groups argue that the wage plan will add pressure to businesses already struggling with staffing and a drop-off in tourism.
The measure would result in a 48 percent wage increase for hotel workers and a 56 percent rise for airport employees over the next three years.
The minimum wage for large hotel workers is currently two dollars higher than the standard minimum wage in the city, at over $18.
The wage increases would be brought in gradually, starting with $22.50 per hour in July 2025, increasing to $25 in 2026, $27.50 in 2027, and finally $30 in July 2028.
Hellbound and Down 