Media release

MAYOR JOHNSON CONVENES TASK FORCE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATION ON POTENTIAL MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

July 28, 2015

SACRAMENTO, CA - Mayor Kevin Johnson announced today that he will be convening an Income Inequality Task Force of community, business, and labor leaders to study and make a recommendation on increasing the minimum wage in Sacramento. The Task Force process will include robust community discussions, outreach, study and analysis about the numerous factors impacting poverty and the available solutions.  The Task Force will submit a final report to the Mayor and City Council that recommends a specific plan on whether to increase the local minimum wage and by what amount within 60 days. 

“I’m excited to announce that we have assembled an all-star team of community, business, and labor leaders in Sacramento to examine this important issue in detail,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson. “The task force will determine what makes most sense so that working adults can earn enough to support their families and make their way into the middle class and that small businesses can continue to grow and prosper. Every Sacramentan should feel that if they work hard and play by the rules, they can succeed.”

The Mayor has requested that the Task Force study the wage increase approaches utilized by other cities including examining cost of living adjustments tied to inflation, soliciting public input to create a balanced  proposal that is specifically tailored to Sacramento, and analyzing any possible exemptions that may be needed. 

The Task Force will be chaired by Jay Schenirer, Councilmember of District 5, and Elizabeth Landsberg, Director of Legislative Advocacy, Western Center of Law and Poverty. Task Force members include:

• Jot Condie, President and CEO, California Restaurant Association
• Bill Dombrowski, President and CEO, California Retailers Association
• Kevin Ferreira, Executive Director, Sacramento-Sierra Building and Construction Trades
• Marcus Gomez, Board President, Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Jeff Harris, Councilmember, District 3
• Stephanie Nguyen, Executive Director, Asian Resources, Inc.
• Rachel Rios, Executive Director, La Familia Counseling Center
• Fabrizio Sasso, Executive Director, Sacramento Central Labor Council 
• Ashlin Malouf Spinden, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Congregations Together 
• Peter Tateshi, President and CEO, Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce
• Yvonne Walker, President, SEIU 1000
• Stephen T. Webb, President, NAACP
• Josh Wood, Executive Director, Region Builders

As President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mayor Johnson established the Cities of Opportunity Task Force that was officially charged with giving recommendations for local best practices and federal policies that would reduce the widening wage gap and income inequality in America’s cities and metro areas. Under the Mayor’s leadership, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution urging Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and mobilized the support from over 70 Mayor’s across the country who favored the increase.