Angelides Pledges to Increase Minimum Wage

SACRAMENTO - In a roundtable discussion with California workers earning minimum wage, California State Treasurer and Democratic nominee for Governor Phil Angelides today endorsed legislative efforts to boost the minimum wage with a cost-of-living increase. Currently at $6.75 an hour, the minimum wage in California has not increased since 2002. Governor Schwarzenegger twice vetoed proposal to increase the minimum wage.

"I know working families in California who make minimum wage are struggling just to get by," said Angelides. "As Governor, I'll never forget them and I won't make hard-working Californians wait until an election year to get the wage increase they deserve."

In 2004, Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage and pronounced the legislation a "job killer." Schwarzenegger again vetoed legislation to raise the minimum wage in 2005. All told, Arnold Schwarzenegger's vetoes have cost every minimum wage worker in California $2,080 per year or $173 a month families could have used to buy groceries, pay light bills, or pay for bus fare.

"A California family's ability to pay their bills, feed their families and make a good living should not be subject to election year showboating. And that is exactly what this Governor is doing," Angelides added. "I will be on the side of working families today and every day - not just in an election year."

Angelides' town hall meeting came the day after a sham minimum wage increase proposal was rejected by the U.S. Senate and on the same day the Industrial Welfare Commission begins discussing whether to increase California's minimum wage. Prior to his election-year conversion, Schwarzenegger proposed dismantling the Industrial Welfare Commission.

Next week, the state legislature will debate proposals to raise the minimum wage by 50 cents on July 1, 2007 and another 50 cents on July 1, 2008, with cost-of-living adjustments made annually after that.