Minimum Wage To Surpass $17 In Unincorporated SMC Next Year

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Minimum wage workers employed in unincorporated areas of San Mateo County will get an automatic raise in the new year, thanks to new standards approved by the Board of Supervisors last year.

Supervisors approved a $16.50 wage floor last November in an effort to boost earnings for the lowest-paid workers. The minimum is reevaluated annually based on changes to the consumer price index.

On Jan. 1, the hourly minimum for employers of any size will rise to $17.06 in unincorporated San Mateo County. The requirement applies equally to gig workers, employees who receive tips, adults and minors. Like the state standard, there is an exception for "learners," who can be paid 85 percent of the minimum during the first 160 hours on the job.

A new state law will separately raise the minimum wage for California's fast food workers to $20 on April 1.

"The county's minimum wage applies to nearly all workers, regardless of immigration status, across a wide geographic region," officials wrote Friday. "This includes North Fair Oaks, home to the bustling Middlefield Road corridor, agricultural land stretching from south of Pacifica to Pescadero, Broadmoor Village in the North County and other unincorporated pockets."

The county executive's office is working to get the word out to employers and employees alike and sharing a formal notice of the change to take effect on New Year's Day.