City of San Jose
Councilmember Kalra to introduce Wage Theft Task Force
Councilmember Kalra is proposing to establish a Wage Theft Task Force to develop a wage theft ordinance for San Jose. The proposed Task Force will bring together stakeholders from the business community, labor, workers, community-based organizations and the City to develop an ordinance to track and enforce wage theft violations.
Wage theft is a pernicious problem that affects all types of workers. Simply put, wage theft occurs when workers do not receive their legally owed wages, including not giving workers their last paycheck after a worker leaves, not paying overtime or not paying minimum wage. Sometimes workers don’t even get paid.
This proposed Task Force is an important step to correcting wage theft in San Jose, especially because it brings all the major stakeholders together to jointly find a solution for the workers while telegraphing a streamlined tracking and enforcement process with the City to ensure that the ordinance is not just a paper tiger.
Where: San Jose City Council, Rules Committee
When: Wednesday, June 11
Agenda: link
City to discuss potential revenue measures for Nov 2014
City Manager Ed Shikada is asking for direction from the City Council on how to proceed in preparing for a potential ¼ or ½ cent sales tax for San Jose on the November ballot. Complicating the issue is the potential countywide transportation sales tax under consideration by the Valley Transportation Authority and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Per the memo, the City Administration sees five potential scenarios:
- Countywide sales tax on the ballot and pursue ½ percent City sales tax — $78 million for City services
- Countywide sales tax on the ballot and pursue ¼ percent City sales tax — $44 million for City services
- Countywide sales tax on the ballot and pursue a City special-purpose revenue measure ($44-$78)
- Countywide sales tax on the ballot, drop consideration of any City Measure
- No Countywide sales tax on the ballot and pursue a City Tax Measure
Further complicating the issue is the required thresholds; simple majority for a sales tax measure but a hard-to-reach 2/3rds for a parcel measure (Option 3).
Things to watch at the meeting:
- All eyes on Liccardo as the only Councilmember left standing after the Primary Election.
- With Councilmembers Herrera, Nguyen and Oliverio no longer in contention for the Mayors where will they be on the sales tax?
- Is anyone from the Leadership group going to make the case that the City should sit tight in favor of the Countywide transit measure?
Where: San Jose City Council
When: Tuesday, June 10
Agenda: link
County of Santa Clara
Outreach and Research Plan for a County Living Wage Ordinance
The proposed County Living Wage ordinance comes before the Finance and Government Operations Committee this week. The Committee will listen to the first glimpse of the report slated for the August Board Policy Committee meetings. The research proposal of the administration will help identify the fiscal implications of implementing a County Living Wage ordinance across various contracts and sectors covered by the County.
It’s important that the research for the living wage be thorough to give the Supervisors an accurate portrayal of the est. $2.2 billion in contracting conducted by the County yearly as it embarks on the nation’s most innovative and comprehensive Living Wage Ordinance.
Where: Santa Clara County FGOC Committee
When: Thursday, June 12
Agenda: link
City of Santa Clara
Santa Clara City committing $5.8m as a substitute for boomerang funds to affordable housing
Although the City of Santa Clara is not receiving any one-time boomerang funds, the City is dedicating $5.83 million toward affordable housing which garners an estimated $8.14 million additional funding from the County. It’s likely the source of funds will be from the Land Sale Reserve Act, since not technically boomerang money from the Redevelopment Dissolution process.
The City of Santa Clara deserves a pat on the back for being responsible partners with the County to foster the development of more affordable housing – something our entire region is sorely lacking.
Where: Santa Clara City Council
When: Tuesday, June 10
Agenda: link
Dennis Raj is the Political Director for the South Bay Labor Council
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