Dear Friend:
This fall, San Diego City Council will decide the fate of the city’s living wage ordinance. The outcome of this decision will not only lift thousands of families out of poverty, but will also have a significant impact on the national movement, as San Diego is extremely conservative and extraordinarily expensive city. In order to provide San Diego City Councilmembers with further assurance about the living wage law, we have drafted a letter and are seeking endorsements from economists and other academics. This letter will be released to the media and to the general public. We ask you to consider offering your endorsement and sign onto the letter below. To review the San Diego living wage ordinance, go to http://www.sdlivingwage.org/publications/SDLivingWageProposal.pdf To review impact studies of other living wage policies, please visit our website at http://www.sdlivingwage.org/Research/Research.htm We are asking for endorsements to be submitted by October 1. Please respond to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with your name, university, department, and title. Thank you for considering this request. Sincerely, Donald Cohen President Center on Policy Initiatives LETTER FROM ECONOMISTS IN SUPPORT OF LIVING WAGE The San Diego City Council is currently reviewing a living wage ordinance for city employees, employees under city contract, and employees of businesses that receive economic development subsidies. More than 109 jurisdictions throughout the country have passed similar living wage legislation. These laws are a response to the widespread reality of stagnant or declining wages, which have left millions of Americans – even those working full-time – unable to afford basic necessities for themselves and their families. As economists, we believe that living wage legislation is an important tool for improving the living standards of working Americans. Research has consistently shown that these laws provide tangible benefits to the low-wage workers they cover as well as their families. Recent work has also demonstrated that living wage laws provide additional benefits at the workplace itself, such as reduced turnover, lower rates of absenteeism, as well as improved employee morale and performance. The evidence also shows that living wage laws have minimal adverse effects on local employment and city expenditures. It is our belief that a living wage ordinance would improve the living standards for affected workers in San Diego. We also believe that the ordinance strives to minimize any negative economic impact, limiting its application and including a hardship exemption process for non-profits. We support San Diego's diligent attempt to address the problem of working poverty, and offer our endorsement of the San Diego Responsible Wage and Health Care Benefits Ordinance. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University michael at ecst.csuchico.edu Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901