10A Action 2007 0716 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STAFF REPORT APPROVED AND FORWARDED TO CITY COUNCIL DATE: July 10, 2007 TO: John J ermanis, City Manager Stephen L. HOlliste;:~&1~tant City Manager FROM: SUBJECT PROJECT/PROJECT DESCRIPTION: ORDINANCE ADDING TITLE I ARTICLE VI OF CHAPTER 6 OF THE SAN LEANDRO MUNICIP AL CODE RELATING TO LIVING WAGE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION The staff recommends that the City Council adopt the Living Wage Ordinance. BACKGROUND The City Council referred the matter of a City Living Wage Ordinance to the Council Finance Committee approximately nine months ago. The Living Wage Ordinance generally imposes upon City contractors, service providers, financial aid recipients and lessees or franchisees a requirement to pay a living wage to all employees which is generally, but not always, greater than might be paid in a private market setting. In addition to higher wages, living wage ordinances encourage the provision of health care benefits through wage credits for employer contributions, and paid days off for employees. Over a six month period, the City Council Finance Committee met and discussed the Living Wage Ordinance, and reviewed material on the subject provided by staff and others. The Committee reviewed local government living wage ordinances from the cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Hayward, Richmond and Petaluma. In addition, they reviewed information gleaned from the League of California Cities and a web search on living wage ordinances. Staff provided a matrix summarizing the features of various living wage ordinances, as well as a matrix on the potential impact a living wage ordinance would have on businesses and non-profits currently involved with the City. The Alameda County Central Labor Council and the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) also provided the committee with information and draft ordinances on living wage. Staff drafted a Living Wage Ordinance, which contained provisions commonly found in other local ordinances. The Finance Committee reviewed the draft ordinance, made a few changes, and referred the ordinance to the City Council. The City Council reviewed the Draft Living Wage Ordinance at the June 4, 2007 meeting, and directed that the staff meet with EBASE, the Central Labor Council and other interested groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and businesses in an effort to seek a consensus on the ordinance. The City Manager and Assistant City Manager met with EBASE and Central Labor Council representatives to discuss the matter and addressed point by point items raised in their June 4, 2007 memorandum to Council. We subsequently exchanged various ordinance language. The result of which is the current