The bill’s author, Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, said higher wages would “allow our families to provide for their children, pay their bills and give them dignity and respect.”
The measure would increase to $8.25 an hour next year, $8.75 in 2015 and reach $9.25 by 2016. The federal minimum wage is $7.25.
The vote was 42-24. Only Assemblyman Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, crossed party lines in the vote.
The California Chamber of Commerce stated that this measure will be a “job killer,” and will prevent businesses from being able to afford to hire new employees.
