While pouring over the upcoming year’s $377 million budget, the Santa Monica City Council this week noticed a key expense missing: The living wage.
Council members want to mandate that City Hall workers make a minimum of $11.50 an hour, and that would include all contractors who have $25,000 projects or more with the city. The additional cost to City Hall would surpass $1 million.
City officials already have cut $2 million from the budget and found ways to increase revenues to close a $4 million budget shortfall. Belt tightening is expected for a couple of more years.
So, this week Q-Line wants to know, “Do you think City Hall should pursue a living wage for its employees despite its budget crunch? Why or why not?”
Call (310) 285-8106 with your responses before Friday at 5 p.m. We’ll print them in the weekend edition. Please limit your comments to a minute or less. It might help to think first about the wording of your response.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 1, 2004. Read the original PDF.