Pasadena City Hall, Oct. 10, 2023 (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)
Workers across Pasadena will see a pay increase beginning July 1, when the city’s minimum wage rises from $18.04 to $18.57 per hour under its annual cost-of-living adjustment.
By News Desk
The increase applies to all businesses operating in Pasadena, regardless of size, and reflects the city’s local wage ordinance, which continues to exceed California’s statewide minimum wage requirements.
While the adjustment amounts to 53 cents per hour, it underscores Pasadena’s independent approach to wage policy. The city adopted its minimum wage ordinance in 2016, before subsequent statewide increases took effect. Unlike California’s system, Pasadena’s ordinance follows its own schedule and is adjusted annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.
For a full-time employee working 40 hours per week, the new rate translates to about $21 in additional weekly earnings before taxes.
The updated minimum wage will remain in effect through June 30, 2027, when the city conducts its next annual review and adjustment.
Not all workers in Pasadena are covered by the city’s rate. Employees of qualifying national fast-food chain establishments remain subject to California’s separate fast-food minimum wage, which was set at $20 per hour on April 1, 2024. State law supersedes Pasadena’s ordinance for employers that meet the state’s definition of a national fast-food chain.
City officials said the Planning & Community Development Department’s Code Compliance Division will continue overseeing implementation of the ordinance through education, outreach and enforcement efforts coordinated with the California Department of Industrial Relations and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.
Employers and workers seeking information about the increase, compliance requirements or complaint procedures can access resources through the city’s minimum wage program before the new rate takes effect July 1.
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