Maureen Cavanaugh (Guest Host): In 2005, the City of San Diego passed an ordinance requiring contractors that do business with the city to pay their employees a “living wage.” The law requires city contractors to pay their workers at least ten dollars an hour if they offer health benefits, or twelve dollars an hour if they don't offer benefits. The passage of the law was celebrated by advocates for low-income workers as an important first step towards helping the working poor survive the high cost-of-living in San Diego. Opponents of the ordinance argued that the law would cost the city millions of dollars, and that there are more efficient ways to help local low-income workers. Next month, The City Council is set to evaluate the effects of ordinance.
Guests
- Erik Bruvold, president and CEO of the San Diego Institute for Policy Research .
- Murtaza Baxamusa, director of Research and Policy for the Center on Policy Initiatives .
