Los Angeles County raises minimum wage

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On Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to raise the minimum wage in L.A. County, from $9 an hours to $15 an hour, over a five year period. Businesses with 25 employees or less were given an extra year to comply.

This follows the City of Los Angeles, which voted to raise the minimum wage in June. The vote was 3-2: Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley-Thomas voted in favor, while supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe voted against it.

The wage increase only applies to unincorporated areas of the county and county workers and will be raised incrementally over the next five years. After that the minimum wage will be raised annually to reflect the increase in the cost of living.

Vice President Joe Biden will be in Los Angeles today to discuss the importance of raising the minimum wage. Many people in L.A. County work full time, sometimes working two jobs, and still find themselves unable to earn a living wage.