The Los Angeles City Council has taken steps that could postpone a controversial plan to raise the minimum wage for airport and hotel employees to 30 dollars an hour. Council members voted nine to six on Wednesday to advance the proposal after airline and hospitality industry groups collected enough signatures to place a separate measure on the November 3 ballot. That initiative seeks to repeal the city’s gross receipts tax, a move officials estimate would reduce annual municipal revenue by roughly 860 million dollars. Supporters of the delay argue that slowing the wage increase may help discourage voters from approving the tax repeal measure. Under the current ordinance, the higher minimum wage would take effect in 2028, but the proposed change would push implementation back until 2030 instead. City leaders must still hold another vote before the delay can become official and take effect across Los Angeles sometime in the coming weeks.
