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Mayor and Supervisors unveil single ballot measure to raise San Francisco minimum wage to $15 by 2018
Summary
Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim announced a single, consensus ballot measure to phase San Francisco's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018, with later CPI indexing; proponents said it will lift low‑wage workers' pay and include enforcement provisions, while business representatives backed the phased approach.
Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim announced a single, citywide ballot measure to raise San Francisco's minimum wage in stages to $15 per hour by 2018 and then index future increases to the consumer price index. The mayor said the measure was the result of broad negotiations with labor groups, small and large businesses, nonprofit leaders and academics and aimed to bring pay closer to the city's rising cost of living.
Supervisor Jane Kim, who led the board-level negotiations, said the plan contains no tip or health‑care credits and would phase increases so businesses could adapt. Coalition partners including the Campaign for a Fair Economy said the phased plan will put money directly into the pockets of roughly 100,000 low‑paid workers and cited research estimating substantial gains for full‑time workers over four years.
Representatives of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce told the committee they supported the single proposal as a pragmatic compromise that balanced worker needs with business capacity, noting the phased implementation. Supporters emphasized enforcement: the measure and the mayor's office commit to resources and mechanisms to investigate and enforce wage claims so that the raise has “meaning for workers on the ground,” according to coalition testimony.
The mayor and supervisors said they would take the proposal to voters in November; the public‑facing campaign will include outreach in multiple languages and efforts to explain phased timing and enforcement to employers and employees. The committee was told by labor and community witnesses that the change will increase take‑home pay for many households and that city enforcement resources will be important to its success.
Next steps: the measure was presented to the committee as a consensus ballot item; campaign partners and city staff will now move to formalize language for the ballot and plan voter and outreach operations ahead of the November election.
