California’s stair-step climb to a $15-dollar minimum wage continues. Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum wage for employers with 25 employees or less will increase to $13.00 per hour, and for employers with 26 or more employees, the minimum wage will increase to $14.00 per hour. Employers must remember this increase also affects minimum salary requirements for exempt employees.
While some local minimum wages increase mid-year, many others also increase on January 1 at the same time the State’s increases take effect.
For example, in the cities of Sonoma and Hayward, the minimum wage for employers with 25 employees or less will increase to $14.00 per hour, and for employers with 26 or more employees the minimum wage will increase to $15.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2021.
Likewise, the city of Novato’s minimum wage for employees with 25 employees or less will increase to $14.00 per hour, and for employers with 26 to 99 employees, the minimum wage will increase to $15.00 per hour as of January 1. For employers with 100 employees or more, the minimum wage in the city of Novato will increase to $15.24 per hour, effective January 1, 2021.
The following local minimum wages go into effect on January 1, 2021, regardless of employer size:
City |
Required Minimum Wage as of January 1, 2021, Irrespective of Employer Size
|
Belmont |
$15.90 per hour |
Cupertino |
$15.65 per hour |
Daly City |
$15.00 per hour |
El Cerrito |
$15.61 per hour |
Half Moon Bay |
$15.00 per hour |
Los Altos |
$15.65 per hour |
Menlo Park |
$15.25 per hour |
Oakland |
$14.36 per hour |
Petaluma |
$15.20 per hour |
Palo Alto |
$15.65 per hour |
Redwood City |
$15.62 per hour |
Richmond |
$15.21 per hour |
San Carlos |
$15.24 per hour |
San Diego |
$14.00 per hour |
San Jose |
$15.45 per hour |
San Mateo |
$15.62 per hour |
Santa Clara |
$15.65 per hour |
Santa Rosa |
$15.20 per hour |
South San Francisco |
$15.24 per hour |
Sunnyvale |
$16.30 per hour |
Employers must also ensure their minimum wage postings are updated appropriately to reflect state and local increases.