The hourly minimum wage in Pasadena will increase to $18.57 on July 1, city officials announced.
The current minimum wage rate $18.04 for all businesses regardless of size.
The City Council adopted the city’s minimum wage ordinance in 2016, prior to the state’s minimum wage legislation, and the state requirements do not override Pasadena’s law. The city is on “a distinct schedule that includes higher incremental increases and after several planned annual adjustments, the minimum wage is updated each year based on changes in the U.S. Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index.
The $18.57 hourly minimum will be in effect until June 30, 2027, when the next adjustment is scheduled to occur.
As of April 1, 2024, California lawmakers established a $20 hourly minimum wage for workers at national fast-food chain restaurants. This state’s requirement applies to all such businesses in Pasadena and supersedes the city’s minimum wage. More information on the state’s fast-food minimum wage, is available at Dir.Ca.gov/Dlse/Faq_MinimumWage.htm.
Planning and Community Development Director Jennifer Paige said Pasadena’s local minimum wage is particularly important for low‑wage earners and members of the immigrant community. She observed that “workers at all levels contribute to the city’s economic vitality and that Pasadena’s prosperity is made possible by the City Council’s commitment to ensuring fair and equitable wages,” according to a city statement.
The Planning and Community Development Department administers Pasadena’s minimum wage ordinance through outreach, education, training and coordinated enforcement with the California Department of Industrial Relations.
Officials said to find more information about or to file a complaint related to the Pasadena minimum wage law, members of the public should contact Code Compliance Manager Jon Pollard at 626-744-6831 or JPollard@CityOfPasadena.net or Outreach, Education and Training Coordinator Julieta Aragon at 626-440-1031 or Julieta@Ndlon.org. Official notices and more resources are at CityOfPasadena.net/Planning/Code-Compliance/Minimum-Wage-Ordinance.