Labor groups, officials push for a minimum wage of at least $25 an hour in L.A. County

Labor advocates and some elected officials are calling on Los Angeles County to adopt a minimum wage of at least $25 an hour.

On Monday about 150 workers, labor leaders, Democratic party officials and loyal donors gathered at private tables reserved in the back of Wally’s Wine & Spirits in Santa Monica to launch a new effort to raise the minimum hourly wage in L.A. County to $25 — or higher.

Amid the tinkle of glassware and clang of cutlery, Saru Jayaraman, an L.A. attorney and president of One Fair Wage, a national coalition pushing to raise wages in the service sector, emphasized the urgency of addressing a steep increase in the cost of living.

“We need bold, proactive action,” Jayaraman said. “That’s the only way people will be able to afford to stay in L.A. County.”

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