Minimum wage & Proposition 32: questions and answers
Short answers to the questions people ask most often about California's wage floor and the 2024 ballot measure.
What was Proposition 32?
Proposition 32 was the Living Wage Act, a citizen initiative on the November 5, 2024 California ballot. It proposed raising the statewide minimum wage to $18 an hour, with a one-year delay for small employers, and then returning to annual inflation adjustments.
Did Proposition 32 pass?
No. It was rejected by a narrow margin: 49.29% of voters supported it and 50.71% voted against. The existing minimum wage law continues to apply.
What exactly would it have changed?
Under the Legislative Analyst's description, employers with 26 or more employees would have paid at least $18 an hour in 2025 and smaller employers $17. In 2026 all employers would have paid $18, and from 2027 the usual inflation adjustments would have resumed.
What is the minimum wage in California now?
Since January 1, 2026 the statewide minimum wage is $16.90 an hour for all employers, regardless of size. Higher local or industry rates may apply.
How is the minimum wage adjusted each year?
Each January the rate rises by the change in the national consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W). The increase is capped at 3.5 percent and the wage is never reduced.
Does my city have a higher minimum wage?
Possibly. Many California cities and counties have adopted local minimum wages above the state rate. When more than one minimum applies, the employer has to pay the highest one, so it is worth checking the rules of the city where the work is performed.
Is the rate different for fast food workers?
Yes. Since April 1, 2024, covered fast food restaurant employees must earn at least $20 an hour. The rule covers limited-service restaurants that are part of a chain with at least 60 establishments nationwide.
What is the difference between a minimum wage and a living wage?
A minimum wage is the legal floor employers must pay. A living wage is an estimate of the income needed to cover basic living costs in a specific place for a specific household, and it is usually higher than the minimum wage in expensive areas.
Who is not covered by the state minimum wage?
Most employees are covered. Limited exceptions include apprentices, outside salespersons and some workers with disabilities employed under a special license.
Where can a worker ask about unpaid wages?
Wage claims in California are handled by the Labor Commissioner's Office, part of the Department of Industrial Relations. This site cannot take or forward complaints.
Is this website run by a campaign?
No. livingwageact.com is an independent reference guide. It is not connected to any ballot measure committee, party, union, business group or government agency, and it does not collect signatures, donations or personal data.