WC's New LA Living Wage Poll

Today we released the results of a poll of likely Los Angeles voters that demonstrates wide and deep support for the limited Living Wage law enacted last year by the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – and tremendous potential support for a much broader, citywide Living Wage.

The poll found wide and deep support – across income levels and political, geographic, ethnic and racial sub-groups in Los Angeles – for the existing, limited Living Wage law, which requires airport-area hotels to pay service employees at least $9.30/hour plus contribute at least $1.25/hour to their health care coverage. Business lobbyists are trying to overturn it by forcing a special election this May, at a potential cost to taxpayers of some $3 million.

Specifically, the Working Californians poll found the following:

• When read a description of the Living Wage law, 74 percent of likely L.A. voters supported it, while only 23 percent opposed it, and just 3 percent were undecided.
• A majority of likely voters (51 percent) would definitely support the existing Living Wage law, while only a very small minority (14 percent) would definitely oppose it.
• After hearing arguments from both sides, support held strong at 69 percent, while opposition increased only slightly, to 27 percent.
• The strongest argument against the existing Living Wage law is that it is not broad enough. In fact, likely voters strongly support all of the law’s individual provisions – except for the fact that it is limited to just hotels near LAX.

Says WC Co-chair Brian D'Arcy:

The data is loud and clear: Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly support the Living Wage. If big business lobbyists insist on trying to roll back the Living Wage law, then they’ll just be wasting $3 million in taxpayer money – and they’ll lose.

And fellow WC Co-chair Marvic Kropke:

This is a slam dunk. L.A. voters strongly believe that people who work hard every day deserve a Living Wage and health care. And they think the Living Wage law should apply to all workers – not just at hotels near LAX.

From Diane Feldman's polling memo:

If a Living Wage Initiative is on the ballot in Los Angeles this spring, it is virtually certain to pass. Support for the initiative cuts across nearly every demographic and political subgroup. By geography, the vote is highest in the South, with 82 percent support, but remains strong in the San Fernando Valley with 68 percent support to 30 percent opposition. The Living Wage Initiative garners the support 66 percent of Anglo voters, 86 percent of African Americans and 89 percent of Latino voters.

We can fight and win a battle over living wage here in LA. It may not come to that, but we do have the voting public on our side. In fact, the biggest knock against such an initiative is that it is not broad enough. That bodes well for this and future campaigns around a living wage in California.