I’ll keep my usual jawboning here to a minimum. This post is for facts and just the facts, ma’am.
As of January 1, 2019 California’s minimum wage goes up to $11.00 for employers of 25 or fewer and $12.00 for employers of 26 or more. Large employers statewide. Down below I provide a comprehensive list of all the local minimum wages that will be higher. We’re headed to $15.00 an hour by 2020, people.
Administrative (aka White Collar) Excemptions
The threshold salary employers must pay to maintain salary-exempt status for executive employees will be $49,920 annual salary.
Commission Exemptions
To keep overtime-exempt status for commissioned salespeople employers, must now pay $18.01 per hour and over one-half of the earnings must consist of commissions.
Municipal Minimum Wages Higher Than State’s Minimum Wage
I’ll detail each city in a future post. For now, here’s a list of California city’s minimum wages.
| City | Minimum Wage (As of January 1, 2019) |
| Belmont | $13.50 |
| Cupertino | $15.00 |
| El Cerrito | $15.00 |
| Los Altos | $15.00 |
| Mountain View | $15.65 |
| Oakland | $13.80 |
| Palo Alto | $15.00 |
| Redwood City | $13.50 |
| Richmond | $15.00 |
| San Diego | $12.00 |
| San Jose | $15.00 |
| San Mateo | $15.00 |
| Santa Clara | $15.00 |
| Sunnyvale | $15.65 |
In a previous post we went over the statewide minimum wage changes happening in California on January 1, 2019. Check that post to see a quick reference to what’s going on, but read on for a more in-depth report from all of the particular cities and municipalities with changing minimum wages.
Belmont: Employers located in Belmont or who are subject to the Belmont Business License Tax must pay a minimum wage of $13.50. This requirement applies to both adult and minor employees who perform at least 2 hours a week.
Cupertino: Employers located in Cupertino or subject to the Cupertino Business License Tax must pay a minimum wage of $15.00 to employees working at least 2 hours a week. These rights and protections apply regardless of immigration status.
El Cerrito: An employee who performs at least two hours of work within the geographic limits of El Cerrito must be paid a minimum wage of $15.00. This applies to employers of ANY size and for both part-time and full-time employees.
Los Altos: Employers with a facility in Los Altos or who are subject to the Los Altos Business License Tax now must pay a minimum wage of $15.00 to both adult and minor employees.
Mountain View: Employers in Mountain View or who are subject to the Mountain View Business License Tax must pay a minimum wage of $15.65. This requirement is for both adult and minor employees.
Oakland: Employers in the City of Oakland must pay a minimum wage of $13.80 to full-time AND part-time employees who work at least 2 hours within the city limits.
Palo Alto: Palo Alto employers in Palo Alto, as of January 1, 2019, must pay a minimum wage of $15.00.
Redwood City: $13.50 is the new minimum wage for any employee working at least 2 hours for any business operating in Redwood City.
Richmond: The City of Richmond’s $15.00 an hour to employees who work at least two hours per week within the geographic boundaries of the city is among the highest already enacted.
San Diego: Employers must pay all employees, minor or adult, who work at least two hours in one workweek within the San Diego city limits.
San Jose: Employers who are subject to the San Jose Business License Tax or who maintain a facility in San Jose must pay at minimum $15.00 per hour for ALL employees.