On January 1, 2022, California minimum wages will increase as mandated by Senate Bill (SB) 3: $15.00/hour for employers with 26 or more; $14.00/hour for those with 25 or fewer employees; See California’s Gradual Increases in Minimum Wage, to Reach $15.00 Per Hour by January 1, 2022 (April 20, 2016).
The California cities and counties below have ordinances with higher or more extensive minimums. Employers must review and comply with the rules for locality in which their employees work. The UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education publishes regular updates.
| City or County | Minimum Wage Rate |
| Alameda (effective from July 1, 2021) | $15.00 |
| Belmont | $16.20 |
| Berkeley (effective from July 1, 2021) | $16.32 |
| Burlingame | $15.60 |
| Cupertino (indexed to Consumer Price Index [CPI]) | $16.40 |
| Daly City (indexed to CPI) | $15.53 |
| El Cerrito (indexed to CPI) | $16.37 |
| Emeryville (indexed to CPI) (effective from July 1, 2021) | $17.13 |
| Half Moon Bay (indexed to CPI) | $15.56 |
| Hayward (indexed to CPI) | $14.52 (25 or fewer employees) and |
| $15.56 (26 or more employees) | |
| Fremont (effective from July 1, 2021) (larger employers adjusted to CPI) | $15.00 (25 or fewer employees) |
| $15.25 (26+ employees) | |
| $15.00 (25 or fewer employees) | |
| Los Altos (indexed to CPI) (indexed to CPI) | $16.40 |
| Menlo Park (indexed to CPI) | $15.75 |
| Los Angeles City (from July 1, 2021) | $15.00 |
| Los Angeles County (Unincorporated Areas) (from July 1, 2021) | $15.00 |
| Malibu (indexed to CPI)(effective from July 1, 2021) | $15.00 |
| Milpitas (effective from July 1, 2021) (indexed to CPI) | $15.65 |
| Mountain View (indexed to CPI) | $17.10 |
| Novato (two larger amounts indexed to CPI) | $15.00 (25 or fewer employees) |
| $15.53 (26+ employees) | |
| $15.77 (100+ employees) | |
| Oakland (indexed to CPI) | $15.06 |
| Palo Alto (indexed to CPI) | $16.45 |
| Pasadena (effective from July 1, 2021) | $15.00 |
| Petaluma (indexed to CPI) | $15.85 |
| Redwood City (indexed to CPI) | $16.20 |
| Richmond (indexed to CPI) | $15.54 |
| San Carlos (indexed to CPI) | $15.77 |
| San Diego | $15.00 |
| San Francisco City and County (indexed to CPI) (effective from July 1, 2021) | $16.32 |
| San Jose (indexed to CPI) | $16.20 |
| San Leandro (effective from July 1, 2020) | $15.00 |
| San Mateo (indexed to CPI) | $16.20 |
| Santa Clara (indexed to CPI) | $16.40 |
| Santa Monica (effective from July 1, 2021) | $15.00 |
| Santa Rosa (indexed to CPI) | $15.85 |
| Sonoma | $15.00 (25 or fewer employees) and |
| $16.00 (26+ employees) | |
| South San Francisco (indexed to CPI) | $15.80 |
| Sunnyvale (indexed to CPI) | $17.10 |
| West Hollywood | $15.00 (49 or fewer employees) (Jan. 1, 2022) $16.00 (July 1, 2022) and |
| $15.50 (50+ employees) (Jan. 1, 2022) $16.50 (July 1, 2022) |
Covered employers must also conspicuously post an updated wage notice/bulletin for each applicable jurisdiction. The above city/county link(s) provide respective current notices.
See also:
- California Summer Minimum Wage Rate Increases (June 10, 2021)
- Good Workplace Policy Is Boss – Our Template Handbook & Forms for 2021 (May 28, 2021)
For more information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.
Helena Kobrin
Daniska Coronado
November 24, 2021