Supervisors show support for narrow 'living wage' proposal

Under mounting political pressure from labor advocates, Sonoma County supervisors on Monday endorsed a so-called living wage ordinance that would increase pay for an estimated 560 low-wage county-affiliated workers.

The Board of Supervisors, however, balked at backing broader action that would cover nearly 4,000 in-home caregivers that act as county contractors, effectively carving out the largest single group of low-income workers that advocates hoped to benefit from the action. County officials signaled the fiscal impact of bumping pay for caregivers would be unsustainable at this time.

“I don’t want to leave out in-home caregivers, but the question remains where are we going to find that $12 million?” Supervisor Shirlee Zane said.

The action Monday was preliminary, giving the county administrator the general outlines of an ordinance the board could adopt next spring. It would affect companies and nonprofit organizations that do business with the county.

Monday’s discussion came six months after the Board of Supervisors ordered an assessment of the cost associated with the pay increases.

County officials said bumping wages to $13 per hour for 114 private sector employees and 445 nonprofit workers would cost an estimated $286,000 per year - significantly less than the $12 million annual investment called for in a separate living wage proposal unveiled in September.

That proposal, from North Bay Jobs with Justice, a group comprised of labor, environmental, faith and community groups, called for a $15 per-hour minimum wage for an estimated 5,000 workers.

Supervisors rebuffed the group’s proposal Monday, citing fiscal constraints.

“I’m not even sure where $1 million is going to come from, let alone anything more than that,” Board of Supervisors Chairman David Rabbitt said. “This is the dilemma that we are in.”

Living wage advocates expressed disappointment with the board’s decision to leave out in-home caregivers from a living wage measure. The workers, who provide care for the disabled and elderly, currently earn $11.65 an hour. They have lobbied for years, in both contract talks and in public demonstrations at the Board of Supervisors, for pay closer to $15 an hour.

“We believe all workers deserve a living wage,” said Marty Bennett, co-chair of North Bay Jobs with Justice.

Amanda Pyland, an in-home care provider, said that she is forced to choose monthly between paying her rent, or other bills, including for electricity. Health care expenditures are out of the question with her monthly income of $1,000, she said.

“With rents going up, we just can’t make ends meet,” Pyland said. “What I make is not enough to survive on.”

Supervisors earlier this year said they supported the concept of a living wage, but said the county had to take into account other factors that lead to income disparity.

Living wage ordinances are similar to minimum wage laws in that they set a baseline amount workers must be paid, but differ because wages are tailored to meet a specific group’s cost of living - taking into account how much local housing and child care costs, for example, as well as other factors such as local taxes. Three cities in Sonoma County - Sonoma, Sebastopol and Petaluma - have enacted living wage ordinances.

Critics say such moves can raise costs for businesses and lead to layoffs, or at the least stall hiring. Consultants who analyzed the issue for the county said a pay increase could harm nonprofits and small businesses that may not be able to afford higher labor costs.

Supervisor Efren Carrillo echoed those concerns, saying he does not want pay increases to result in companies dropping contracts with the county. Carrillo also said resources may be better focused elsewhere, in programs that increase affordable housing and preschool education.

“It’s not just about in-home support workers,” Carrillo said. “It’s about breaking the cycle of generational poverty.”

But in-home support workers who came out to Monday’s meeting urged supervisors to consider their particular economic plight – working long hours without overtime pay and regularly paying for their clients’ needs from their own money.

“I pay for laundry out of my own pocket and I pay for their food,” said Bonita Munoz, an in-home care provider. “I’ve talked to so many others like me who do this out of the goodness of our hearts, and many of us can barely pay for the houses we live in.”