By Brooklynn Wong
Things got heated in the Anaheim City Council Chambers last Tuesday night, as crowds showed up to speak on the controversial initiative that is Measure L.
Anaheim residents will vote on Nov. 6 to either approve or shut down this measure, which would raise the minimum wage for certain hospitality workers in the city.
If it passes, applicable employers would be required to pay their workers at least $15 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2019, increasing by one dollar more per hour each year until 2022, to reach a rate of $18 per hour.
According to an impartial analysis prepared by City Attorney Robert Fabela, Measure L would apply to “any for-profit business that is a hotel, motel, amusement or theme park, or any retail store, restaurant, or other venue offering food or beverages, that is within or adjacent to a hotel, motel, or amusement or theme park and that: (1) is located in whole or in part within the Disneyland or Anaheim Resort Specific Plan Zones, (2) has an agreement to receive a tax rebate from the City, or is a hospitality industry contractor or tenant of an entity that has such an agreement, and (3) has 25 or more employees.”
Exempt would be “employers with fewer than 100 full-time employees [who] seek an annual exemption from the City by showing that paying the higher minimum wage would cause them to either reduce their workforce by more than 20%, cut their employees’ total work hours by more than 30%, close their business or seek bankruptcy protection.”
An argument on the City website in favor of Measure L, by the President of the Anaheim Union High School District, the Planning Commissioner, a representative from Orange County Communities Organized For Responsible Development, a local rabbi and others, takes a stance in defense of Disneyland Resort employees.
They give statistics saying that these workers often struggle to make ends meet, including that one in ten has recently been homeless.
They also state that paying these workers more will give them more money to spend in the community, “lifting the economy for everyone.”
However there has now been some confusion as to whether Disneyland would even be covered by the Measure at all. What is known is that it would cover a few hotels and about 150 workers.
Alternately, a statement against Measure L was submitted by several, including City Council member Kris Murray and retired Police Chief Jimmie Kennedy.
They argue that this Measure would only impact a very small number of workers, and offers no help to many many others.
This Measure will be on the ballot after receiving the requisite number of signatures on a petition in the community.
Just a couple of hours into the meeting, 12 residents had spoken against the Measure, and six had spoken in favor of it.
Several union members and Anaheim workers were on hand, most showing solidarity against the Measure, including Clarissa Harmon, who acknowledged that the Measure would help a relative few, but asked, “What about the rest of us?”
A representative from the Anaheim Hills Community Council said Measure L would eliminate jobs, that it would “help a few but harm many.”
A resident named Mark Richard Daniels spoke in favor of it, saying, “It’s the will of the people,” and that the unprecedented numbers of signatures gathered should be enough to show that residents are in support of it.
The Council Chambers were packed, and the crowd reacted audibly after nearly every speaker.
At one point, Council Member Kris Murray said she had heard booing in the audience and felt that was disrespectful, and requested that Mayor Tom Tait ask the crowd to refrain.
Tait said he had not heard any booing, just loud cheering, which many in the crowd reacted to with disdain.
The results of the Measure L vote will become known the evening of Nov. 6.
The next Anaheim City Council Meeting will take place Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.
