Posted on 09/11/2003 7:19:34 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO – Most state workers and employees of certain companies that do business with the state would have to be paid a "living wage" of at least $10 an hour under legislation sent to Gov. Gray Davis yesterday.
The measure by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara, was given final approval by the Assembly on a 43-33 vote that accepted Senate amendments to the legislation.
Under the bill, certain companies that sign state contracts of $50,000 or more would have to pay their employees at least $10 an hour if they also provided the workers with health insurance.
For companies with no health coverage, the minimum wage would be $12 an hour.
The wage requirement would be adjusted each year to reflect inflation.
The bill includes a number of exemptions, including current contracts and contracts for janitorial, housekeeping, window washing and security services if the wages were at least 85 percent of comparable state pay.
It also would exempt companies that sign union contracts with their employees.
Republicans charged the bill was designed to raise the minimum wage to $10 in California and that it would cost jobs.
Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, said a similar "living wage" ordinance adopted by the city of Los Angeles helped the economy and didn't result in a shortage of bids for city contracts.
Also yesterday, prospective foster parents will get more anti-discrimination training under a bill signed by Davis requiring them to respect the race, ethnicity, religion and sexual preference of foster care children.
The bill's author, Assemblywoman Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park, said the bill will protect 250,000 foster children from living in homes where they're singled out, insulted or assaulted based on their backgrounds. It also makes foster parents watch training presentations about the state's anti-discrimination law.
Republicans objected to the bill earlier this year, calling it part of a social agenda to advance gay rights, and predicted the bill would cause a greater shortage of foster parents.
Opponents said most foster parents have faith-based households and believe homosexuality is wrong.
"Discrimination, in any form, humiliates people and foster children are especially vulnerable to this," Davis said.
In other legislative action yesterday:
Davis signed SB90, by Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Martinez, which makes landlords provide receipts and documents related to charges deducted from renter's security deposit.
The governor signed SB515, by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, which limits frivolous lawsuits filed by corporations against consumers.
The Assembly sent to the Senate SB892, by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, which requires public and private schools to meet maintenance standards for restrooms. It also allows the state to withhold funds from schools that fail to keep bathrooms clean.
The Senate passed and sent to the Assembly AB1340, by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, which requires oil refiners, producers and operators to submit weekly rather than monthly reports to California Energy Commission about inventory levels, imports and exports.
The Senate also passed and sent to the Assembly AB455, by Chu, which bans by 2006 packaging materials that include lead, cadmium, mercury or hexavalent chromium.
Sometimes, I'm extremely proud to be a Freeper.
Are they trying to commit suicide? Because that is the only way that this kind of behavior makes sense.
-PJ
You're supposed to respect little Johnny when you catch him boinking the family dog, dontcha know?
That's not a living a wage in California coast. Maybe in the Central Valley but not in the Bay Area.
What about $30 an hour?
If the government of California has the power to create prosperity, let it go for the real thing.
Minimum wages in California at $30 an hour will stimulate the economy so much that Davis will become a superhero.
[/s]
Just doing the perspective that the herd of reporters don't even think of doing. It never even occured to them to ASK how many people this would directly affect. Or if they DID - and came up with MY analysis, then they simply and neatly left it out of the story.
Michael
Doesn't the legislative process in Kalifornia include an assessment of fiscal impact for bills before they go to the floor of the legislature? Perhaps someone can research what the analysis of this bill suggests.
A Kalifornia "living wage" mandated by the state will encourage employers to locate in other states. A federal "minimum wage" encourages employers to move jobs offshore.
If Arnold believes in the federal minimum wage then I see no reason to anticipate that he would have a problem with a Kalifornia minimum wage. Perhaps Arnold might think that the wage should be $9.75 or $10.25 but the concept is probably acceptable.
Does McClintock believe that it is government's job to mandate what wage a person should be paid?
I doubt it. Perhaps an Arnold supporter can surprise me here.
One of Tom main point from the get go is to have California's minimum wage to be in line with the federal (and he has no control over the federal)
Perhaps you'd be wise to set up security along the California border. I'd recommend an air strike on I-15 at the border, but I suspect that would hurt the tourist business in Vegas.
The illegals will continue to pick at a cheap wage, since their employment is "under the table".
A legislated minimum price for something means that if its market value falls below the minimum price, it becomes almost completely worthless. Price floors thus have the opposite of the claimed effect.
Though the way CA tax rates are going, a wage of $1 under the table might be worth more than $10 over, even to a legal citizen.
True, which is why the free market has to determine these things and not government bureaucrats.
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