California minimum wage is currently $14.00/hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees and $15.00 for employers with 26 or more. Governor Newson has projected an across-the-boards increase to $15.50/hour on January 1, 2023.
These California municipalities will increase their local minimum wage effective July 1, 2022:
| City or County | Minimum Wage Rate |
| Alameda | $15.75 |
| Berkeley | $16.99 |
| Emeryville | $17.68 |
| Fremont | $16.00 |
| Los Angeles City | $16.04 |
| Los Angeles County (Unincorporated Areas) | $15.96 |
| Malibu | $15.96 |
| Milpitas | $16.40 |
| Pasadena | $16.11 |
| San Francisco City and County | $16.99 |
| Santa Monica | $15.96 |
| West Hollywood (New) | $16.00 (49 or fewer employees) |
| $16.50 (50 + employees) |
Employers must review the information for their location(s) and conspicuously post the current wage notice for each applicable jurisdiction.
Employers with remote employees or employees in more than one location may need to apply different minimum wage rates. The simplest solution to this situation may be to pay the highest applicable required minimum to all employees.
Some cities have different minimum wage laws for hotels. Effective July 1, those rates will be: Long Beach ($16.73); Santa Monica ($18.17), City of Los Angeles ($18.17)(150 rooms or more) and West Hollywood ($18.35).
The UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education publishes regular updates.
See also:
- Happier and Healthier – Workplace Policy Handbook & Forms for 2022 (April 29, 2022)
- What’s New in 2022 – California Minimum Wage Rate Increases for January 1, 2022(November 24, 2021)
- Minimum Wage Laws (January 31, 2020)
For more information, please contact Tim Bowles, Cindy Bamforth or Helena Kobrin.
Helena Kobrin
Daniska Coronado
June 24, 2022