ONE BIG THING: A Living Wage for Tourism Workers
What Happened
We were proud to join Councilmembers Price and Yaroslavsky along with union leaders this week to introduce a motion that would raise the minimum wage for LAX and Hotel workers to $25/hour. The motion would also increase the minimum wage for those workers to $30/hour by 2028.
Why It Matters
It would take a $32/hour minimum wage to afford a one-bedroom apartment in LA without being rent-burdened. Meanwhile, the workers who power our city’s economy are on the verge of homelessness, struggling with food insecurity, and unable to afford child care. We believe unequivocally that everyone who works in LA should be able to live in LA.
Why Just Tourism Workers?
All workers deserve to earn a living wage, so it’s important to acknowledge that this landmark measure supporting tourism workers is a stepping stone to even broader changes that will lift up our entire workforce.
This is the same legislative model that was used to successfully pass LA’s $15 minimum wage, along with more recent wage increases. By starting with this critical industry for LA’s economy, we can show that higher wages uplift struggling parents, their children, and the entire economy.
From there, we can expand these efforts to cover other categories like restaurant/fast food workers, gig workers, and everyone in between.
Two More Quick Hits!
1. Examining the effectiveness of LA Municipal Code 41.18
This week, City Council approved a motion to examine the effectiveness of Municipal Code 41.18. We need to look at data and learn from it. Going back to determine the successes and failures of our policies is a critical part of good governance.
LA's Municipal Code 41.18 criminalizes unhoused people, preventing them from existing in large portions of the city, even as we don't have nearly enough housing or shelter beds to accommodate everyone living in the streets.
After over a year of 41.18 enforcement, we see that encampments are being pushed deeper into our neighborhoods, scattering unhoused folks across our communities and disconnecting them from housing, mental health and addiction services.
We’re looking forward to the report examining 41.18’s efficacy, and working with the community to implement services-led solutions that actually work in addressing our homelessness crisis.
2. Partnering with the Los Angeles LGBT Center!
We had an amazing visit with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, an incredible organization that provides so many critical services to the community like free healthcare, counseling, social services, housing, and advocacy.
We're proud to have one of the biggest LGBTQ+ organizations in the entire country right here in CD13, and it’s so great to partner with them on the biggest issues facing our communities.
Meet Our Team!
Kate Pynoos - Legislative Director
A third-generation Angeleno, Kate comes to our office with a wealth of experience both inside and outside of City Hall. She has a passion for homelessness, immigration, and environmental issues, and most recently Kate worked on the policy team of former Councilmember Mike Bonin.
Kate lives in Hollywood right here in CD13, and she’s served on the Hollywood Neighborhood Council, along with volunteer work with the Hollywood Food Coalition, SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and the NOHO Home Alliance.
We’re so proud to have Kate on our powerhouse legislative team!
Sachin Medhekar – Senior Legislative Deputy
Before joining our team as Senior Legislative Deputy, Sachin served as Housing and Homelessness Director for Council District 11. Before that, he was also SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition’s Policy Chair, and the Housing and Homelessness Chair for Echo Park Neighborhood Council.
Sachin also has experience working with Councilmember Nithya Raman, and he built the tools the LA used to distribute vaccines to unhoused residents across the county. Sachin is a proud CD13 resident living in Echo Park.
CD13 In The News
LA TIMES – L.A. City Council members propose $30-an-hour wage by 2028 for hotel and LAX workers – SEIU-USWW member Jovan Houston, 40, told reporters at a news conference that she makes $19.04 an hour at LAX. That’s not enough to cover her $1,500 monthly rent, she said, so she’s worked side jobs as a cosmetologist. “I struggle,” Houston said. “It’s hard working at LAX.”
KCRW – LAPD chief can’t fire crooked cops. Some want to change that – “If we look at what happened in Memphis, the police [who played a role in the deadly arrest of Tyre Nichols] … were able to be fired, and here it's the opposite.”
ORAGARK – ANCA Hollywood Meets with Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez – “Beyond providing services to empower Armenian renters, workers, immigrants, small business owners, and constituents, we aim to reverse the trend of gentrification in Little Armenia, organize Armenians into the political process, and show solidarity with Armenians in Artsakh who have been enduring an illegal blockade for months,” remarked council member Soto Martinez.