I'm tired of shelling out my tax dollars for food stamps for workers at companies that don't bother to pay their employees enough to buy the basics. Walmart, Kentucky Fried, etc, etc, are ultra-profitable but don't bother to pay a living wage. Enough! It's high time to raise the minimum.

I want someone to raise the "Medium" wage.

Every human being deserves a living wage. I think a Guaranteed Minimum Income would be the cheapest and most effective way to implement this. Web Link

Tying the minimum wage to inflation, as mentioned in the article, makes so much sense it's hard to imagine it isn't current practice. Congress shouldn't have to enact new legislation just to provide cost of living adjustments to the minimum wage. A quick internet search turned up the fact that until 2007, the minimum wage had been $5.15 for a decade! (Interesting to note that Congress overwhelmingly supported the 2007 increase, 94 to 3 in the Senate and 315 to 116 in the House, under a Republican President - this used to be a bipartisan issue.) Raise the minimum wage, and include a provision to keep it going up as costs rise.

The wolfman is at it again and ol' Margaret is there cheering him on...

Councilwoman Abe-Koga, please tell me why you are an authority on wages? have you ever had employees? Tell me about your business experience?

Oh wait, you have a degree in political science and have spent the better part of your life training to be the career politician that you have begun. Give me a call when you get some real experience and we'll talk about wages.

Some people simply aren't worth more than $8-$10 an hour. Pay should
be commensurate with work performed, not dictated by government agencies.

It's funny to see the common theme in Town Square. The same folks that believe that everybody (criminals, family abusers, etc..) in the US should have free access to guns also hate the minimum wage. Most of these folks would be more than happy to pay people ZERO dollars per hour and maybe let them sleep in the back of their business. Sorry folks, but slavery has been abolished by law, so government has been "dictating" against YOUR desires for a long time.

Greg--funny comments about Abe-Koga coming from you, given that your income is based on selling weapons to criminals. What the heck do you know about economics?!

As entry level jobs for people hopefully growing their job skills and marketability into something better paying, contrast two different business models: McDonald's, stuffing their facilities with often-less-than motivated workers, and In & Out Burger, just the opposite. In & Out pays well above minimum wage, but carries fewer workers and expects high standards of performance. At what cost point does McDonald's rethink its model, and dump the low performing 30% into the street?

A criminal background check is performed on every buyer I sell to. Period. Your slander will not change facts.

I have over 30 years business experience in retail, and business management. I hold a Bacheleor of Science degree in Business Administraion. I know a bit about economics I would say.

How about you mystery man? You're afraid to even say your name.

Well said, Greg!

interesting that companies are not willing to pay wages sufficient to keep workers off assistance (which we taxpayers fund) AND that some politicians who oppose the minimum wage do not want to spend money on the needed assistance either - disadvantaging the poor in 2 ways - what do they want low wage workers to do - just disappearguZh3

Do any of read anythink but this newspaper? A majority of bread winners work low wage jobs. Over 240 billion dollars in food stamps are given to fast food workers.

A majority of jobs in this country are service industry. Seriously when low income earners view Wall Mart is high priced. We have problems.

Moreregulation is just another troll who thinks he knows a lot more than he really does.

The reality is that if you force employers to increase their overhead costs of their most junior and least reliable workers, they will just hire fewer of them. I would.

A minimum wage job is not supposed to be a career. It is supposed to be a stepping stone to something else. If you're single, split the rent. If you have a family and are on minimum wage, perhaps you should rethink living in a place with a high cost of living.

"Every human being deserves a living wage"
Cool! After 40 plus years of hard work, I'm a little tired of the aggravation. Just send mine to me in Santa Cruz.
Thanks!

"We demand higher ages"

Indeed.

In a way this is good and bad. Bad for business over all, putting more expense on a business is not a very good idea, because it will only come back onto the taxpayer, or by eliminating more workers. For the remaining workers it will mean more work with the increased money.

Here is another way that it is bad, lets say the server made only $8.50/hr and the cook made $12/hr, well guess what now the cook will want more money. So instead of a trickle down, it will be a trickle up event. So bottom line, if you want a Big Mac and fries, instead of paying 8 dollars the price will be 20 dollars. For what, a bunch of kids putting meat in a patty. Lord knows what they do with the food, before it reaches you. Not sure if anyone else experience this, but i normally always get sick after eating fast food.

I feel sorry for anyone that has to work for a fast food place, been there done that. I couldn't wait to find a better job. And now there is no incentive to leave such a job if it pays good. Like Ron said, these types of jobs are not meant for lifetimers. ICE should come in and inspect some of these places.

I cannot afford any housing in Los Altos Hills.

I demand that the government force my employer to double my salary.

Sorry, you made some mistakes in your life. You dropped out of school, the one the taxpayers provided to you for free. You didn't bother to learn the language of the country you live in. You have done nothing to improve yourself. Now, you have a menial job.

Move to Los Banos. I don't need to subsidize your wages or your "affordable housing" any more.

"... the server made only $8.50/hr and the cook made $12/hr ..."

Learn how to cook a burger and get a pay raise. What a concept.

Self-improvement, it's not that hard.

Most businesses in Mountain View are making a lot of profit, because they can pay the minimum ($8). When they hear that an incrise of wage could happen obviusly they will say that they can't pay more. We have a lot of companies that the minimum don't exist because they pay good. People who suffer are who work in the small businesses where owners make them to work a lot and pay a little. I think that they deserve something better...restaurants in MV are allways busy because companies (like google) are hiring each day and they need to eat as a result restaurant's owners open more restaurants, so they can pay more, they just don't want to.

It's always amusing and sad to see how many of those with comments have a very limited ability to grasp what life might be like for the majority of these low wage earners. Do you all really believe that none of these people aspire to make more, get a better job and not have to rely on govt. support to feed their families? Do you really think those better paying jobs are really out there for the asking? And that all low wage earners are just too lazy to improve their lives?

Do you also think that these hugely profitable co's would let people go if they had to pay them a living wage? And you do realize that our taxes are subsidizing these low wages at companies like WalMart, McDonalds, etc.? So they can improve their profit margins?

And what if these low wage earners followed your advice and moved away? Who would serve you your cheeseburgers, mow your lawns and ring up your purchases?

The minimum wage was implemented to protect workers from predator employers who would take advantage of people that had no options but accept what they were offered, but it has not kept pace with the economic growth. With all the breaks companies get from the government they shouldn't have a problem sharing with the employees that make their businesses possible.

There have been numerous raises to the minimum wage since it was created by the Fair Labor Standard Act of 1938, and there has been "no proof" that raising it has caused job losses, said Paul George of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center" and I wouldn't expect anyone from the Peace and Justice Center to see it any other way.
"A minimum wage job is not supposed to be a career. It is supposed to be a stepping stone to something else." Ron is absolutely correct. Jobs at fast food restaurants etc. have always been starter jobs, or jobs for retired people, not a career.
Let's take restaurants as an example. There is a limit on how much the public is willing to pay for a meal, and this limits the income stream. Lets say the employer has a staff of 10 and pays each $8./Hr, if that rises to $10 then 2 must leave adding to the food stamp group If it rises to $15/Hr then 5 must go and join the food stamp group. With more people added to the food stamp group, employers will need to pay more in taxes, which may lead to other layoffs. This is a downward spiral. If you are an employer, there is only so much money to spread around or go out of business, which now would have 11 people on food stamps. The exception is Obama who just keeps printing money, but that is for another discussion.
The intent of this article is clearly to incite class warfare; the haves vs the have not's.

Daniel and Nikonbob's comments both freely float between huge national or international companies and mom and pop restaurants such as those on
Castro St. Two very different ends of the business spectrum.

What is really happening is that raising the minimum wage and requiring overtime for domestic workers is really just creating a larger underground economy where people don't pay for social security, taxes, or the benefits domestic workers legally should have. So let's create more laws without any enforcement and really just lose more taxes and increase to burden to cities when underground employees are fired without legal protections. What we need is affordable housing first and using minimum wage as an excuse is absurd thinking.

@Robert...the cost of every other thing that goes into running a business has gone up over time. Why should only the employee's be the one's that are left out of that equation? It's the cost of doing business. If all business owners face the same increase, it's not going to drive people elsewhere.

And those increased wages go back into the economy, which is good for business.

So the CBO cites numerous research articles that show raising the minimum wage will reduce employment and raise incomes to those who do not lose their jobs. It also cites how most MW workers are young adults who live in HH's where poverty is not an issue. Its clear this policy is a poorly targeted one towards helping low skilled workers and helping unions reduce competition.

Not everyone is college material, some kids parents don't have the means or the extra funds to assist in their kids pursuit to higher education. Have any of you.worked low.wage, 2 to 3 jobs. I have, not.easy to rise above if you are hand to mouth.

1 less job from being homeless. 1 job pays rent, 1 job for.food, 1 job.for others, note to you. Took another job to save up money.

Most of the low wagers worked hard, school at one class at a time, or having to support the family. Sad thing is so many older workers have lost good paying jobs or in some cases the good paying jobs just vanished.

Political Insider...the report also says that it's hard to predict the impact, and that there is a 2/3 chance that the range would be no impact to a million jobs lost. They also said that a $9 MW might even increase employment.

Wish I could give my boss that kind of information and get away with it.

"Political Insider...the report also says that it's hard to predict the impact, and that there is a 2/3 chance that the range would be no impact to a million jobs lost."

So what. Of course studies show a range of job losses. They look at different data but the majority of studies show job losses. The other problem is the reduction in hours. Is this tradeoff acceptable to benefit a few at the expense of others? There are winners and clear losers in raising the minimum wage.

1 quater at college; School tuition $1000 including books. Food(only lunch) and bus $900. Rent and goods $1500. Total $3400
6 paychecks($500 each)= 3000. Many people don't know who is life as a student in this area. I can't get a better jod because I'm still in school. Of course I have looked for another one, but every single place that I go, they pay $8 maybe $9, still no enough. Owners just want more for them. Help us, we are a lot of students suffering. We can't even spend money in having fun.

Dear Rengstorff Park Student,
Please proof read your posts as carefully as you would a job application.
No, I won't explain proof reading, sorry.

Dear N. Coherent,

You misspelled "proof read." The correct spelling is "proofread." In the future, please proofread your posts.

Mistakes always happen. Is the way we learn. Is this topic about mistakes? Or the wage increase. Lests just post our opinions and we will see what's next.

Student is a perfect example of how tight funds can be. Too many jobs, not enough time to sleep or study.

Hope you succeed in life Student.

Raise the minimum wage. What happens? Let's agree for the sake of argument that all employers are greedy. That's what the josh wolf and Margaret Abe kogas believe. So to maintain their profit margins, they'll lay off enough employees to keep those margins the same. That's how it works.

Greg, your ridiculous statement:
"A criminal background check is performed on every buyer I sell to. Period. Your slander will not change facts.

I have over 30 years business experience in retail, and business management. I hold a Bacheleor of Science degree in Business Administraion. I know a bit about economics I would say."

We are supposed to believe you that you are oh, so experienced in economics, that somehow paying people below the poverty line will somehow make this a better country? A college degree? A BS? Really? You don't even know the difference between slander and libel. Slander is verbal while libel is written. How can you possibly not know that, but insist on being right about the minimum wage? Sigh....

So, you admit to libel?

It's funny how folks claim that raising the minimum wage to $15/hour, which it should be, will destroy jobs, but they don't bat an eye when some CEO who does nothing but lunch gets his compensation raised from $8,000,000/year to $15,000,000/year.

For the people who say "I don't want to pay these people to be on welfare" that's great. Neither do I.

But forcing employers like Walmart and Mcdonald's to pay people more will, in the end, give you the same result. Employers aren't just going to pay people more and not raise their prices.

Which will raise the cost of living making that minimum wage increase meaningless.

The following comment was posted by BetterOptions on a duplicate thread, which has now been removed:

A better approach than raising minimum wage would be to put an extra city Income tax on all Mountain View residents making more than $100K/year (since the median household income is about $70K, this means all lower income people do not pay any extra tax). That extra tax could be used to for rent-rebates to people making less than the median income. Plus the extra tax would help hold down rental prices, since rich people would be less likely to live in MV.

by BetterOptions Feb 21, 2014 at 5:27 pm

Andrea, I think in the current economic climate it is irresponsible of you to push yet another tax on the working people and homeowners. Also, why do we want FEWER rich people to live in Mountain View? How on earth does that help anybody?

I would rather support fewer people who cannot find work with financial aid than more people working for an unlikable wage, effectively subsidizing businesses. That may leave room for more competitive businesses to move into the market.

We have already seen that the average MW worker is no longer a teenager. Many are "retired" or working three jobs to make ends meet. If we pay them a living wage, some companies may reduce their workforce, but some workers will cut their third job, too. This may be a net increase in employment even though there are fewer jobs overall (though I don't concede there will be fewer jobs).

In the end, to me, it's common sense and ethics. Is it acceptable that we force anyone to work three jobs to survive? Too many people make snap judgments that they have to because they are lazy or undeserving. Seriously, who would work three jobs by choice? If it's not their choice, do they deserve your derision?

I love the right-wingers who believe in the "logic" of supply-side (trickle-down) economics: Top 1% need to pay lower taxes, since every dollar they get to keep will then be used to expand companies and invest, which will increase employment.

But, they don't believe in the logic of "trickle-up": The more the lower classes make, the more they will spend, which will go to companies who will expand and invest, which will increase employment.

Sorry Righties--stop drinking the Koch Brothers coolaid and read the economic studies. People that are already so wealthy do not tend to put any "extra" money back into the economy. They tend to either hoard it or stash it offshore somewhere. (Take a look at all the public companies building products here, but then selling them elsewhere..and never paying tax on those sales!)

Bringing the minimum wage up incrementally toward the poverty line (yes, the minimum wage is BELOW the poverty line!), will have a beneficial effect not only on the people that are employed, but on the overall economy. As the minimum wage has been moved upward in certain states, all the studies showed increased economic prosperity *and* employment. Don't listen to the Koch Brothers PR machine--think for yourselves! (or go back, get your high school diploma/GED and read some peer-reviewed studies)

"But, they don't believe in the logic of "trickle-up": The more the lower classes make, the more they will spend, which will go to companies who will expand and invest, which will increase employment. "

Ha ha, you mean the more will be sent to mexico.

You people are disgusting. I have been here since 2006. I am moving to Uruguay, where I will delight in watching Mountain View self-destruct from a comfortable distance. You deserve everything that you are about to get.

Mountain View = TCE = Cancer Alley

Enjoy!

The main issue is that good middle class jobs have disappeared. American workers have been replaced in construction and manufacturing by cheaper illegal labor, forcing more bread winners into menial minimum wage jobs. Minimum wage jobs were never intended to pay living wages for families. We also have a shortage of Americans who are able to do the higher wage jobs in high tech. Other middle class jobs have gone over seas. A better long term solution would be for us to ask ourselves how can we build a sustainable economy (not based on slave labor) that allows for immigration and educates Americans on how to do jobs of the future. How can the middle class survive when so many industries are allowed to pay workers under the table? You end up with the rich reaping the rewards of high profits and ever growing desire for cheaper labor; only rich and poor. Raising the minimum wage will not change this.

They raised the minimum wage a while back and believe me it still wasn't a living wage and did not solve the issue of the loss middle class jobs in fact it is worse now. So while the protestors shine a light on a real problem in this country, raising the minimum wage is not the answer. The minimum wage would need to rise to 40-50 an hour for people to live. At 12 an hour I was living with roommates and wouldn't have been able to support a family 15 years ago.

How long will it take the leftists to see that raising the minimum wages destroys jobs and promotes automation. Significant economic analysis shows this to be the case. Gas stations used to have full service but except in Oregon we must pump gas ourselves, we must fill our own soda at the fast food place, etc. The best way for someone to lift their economic status remains education not govt. mandated 'living wage'. The city council should not agree to any min wage higher than federal law sets.

On filling your own soda, pumping your own gas might have been a business decision other then pay. I remember when gas stations had full services and mechanics, depending on where you go, you can still get your soda filled by a employee.

McDonald's and other service based jobs have seen a increase in college educated persons, getting a 4 year degree doesn't protect you from job loss. Not everyone can come to Silicon Valley and get a job, family and other personal reason.

We use to have a bunch of jobs that you made good money with little education, or lots of hands on trade school education. The problem is education costs money, lots of people have to work, jobs are low income, cost of living here is so high, 2 to 3 jobs are needed.

So how does one attend school, pay rent, car expense and other?

MOUNTAIN VIEW: Where you'll PAY to get cancer.

And just try to prove in court that your cancer was the result of TCE exposure in this toxic dump of a town.

LOL

Am I DRUNK or just STUPID?

You be the judge!

@Resident...some of us "Leftists" (really?) would like to see the 'significant economic analysis' you refer to, that supports the claims of job destruction and increased automation. Hopefully it's from some source other than the usual "Rightist" shills for big business.

Web Link

You can tell you've truly arrived in Mountain View when developers create sock puppets to defame you on local social media sites.

MOUNTAIN VIEW = TCE = CANCER

This town is a toxic dump. Prove otherwise. Let's see the stats on cancer, birth defects, and other TCE-related health problems here. Your real estate is WORTHLESS.

You'll be begging for bailouts in a few years.

See my listing on a Meghan's Law site! TCE is to blame!!

The "Old Ben" impostor is pretty obviously some fan of the developers. Old Ben raises a good point. What is the extent of TCE contamination in Mountain View?

I'll bet that San Antonio/El Camino development is soaking in TCE. That's where Shockley's lab was, no?

Have you ever tried getting your tapwater tested around here? It's pretty much impossible. I want to know if my water is contaminated with TCE. I'm pregnant.

If you don't like it here, you can always leave. Poors OUT!