City Government

Oakland Minimum Wage Increase Seeks to Reduce Wage Gap

Published

12 years ago

May 7, 2014

Business owners and workers in Oakland are debating Councilmember Larry Reid’s proposal to raise the city’s minimum wage to $10.20 an hour, which would be adjusted for inflation each year and would go into effect Jan. 1, 2015.

Reid’s proposal would provide Oakland employees a higher quality of life and close the wage gap between the working poor and middle and upper class workers, according to the ordinance’s supporters.

“Nearly two-thirds of minimum wage earners are female, the majority being single heads of households, ” According to A report presented at the Community and Economic Development (CED) meeting last week.

For a single parent living with two children to maintain a sufficient lifestyle, the head of the household would need to make $39 an hour, the report says.

Currently, minimum wage workers take home $8 an hour. The state minimum is set to increase to $9 in July and then, $10 in 2016. But these increases and Reid’s proposal will not be effective in reducing poverty for low-income, minimum wage workers, say some people.

Councilmember Larry Reid, District 7

A ballot initiative proposed by Lift Up Oakland calls for the minimum wage to be raised to $12.25 an hour in addition to employers giving their workers at least five paid sick days per year.

According to Nikki Fortunato Bas, who spoke for Lift Up Oakland at last Tuesday’s CED meeting, “More than a third of workers currently make between $10 to $12 an hour.”

Councilmembers Pat Kernighan, Libby Schaaf, and Lynette McElhaney all expressed support for Reid’s proposal but called for additional research on the impact the increase would have on businesses in Oakland.

“I am concerned about the short-term impacts to both small businesses and particularly restaurants,” said Kernighan. “A lot of it is about how fast [the minimum wage] goes up to allow businesses to accommodate.”

Schaaf, who supports the Lift Up Oakland ballot initiative, said, “I have waited a lot of tables in the city of Oakland as a minimum wage worker. Relying on your tip income is really frightening – to not be able to rely on a wage is terrifying.”

Oakland resident Dominic Ware supported a $12.25 wage increase as a way of opportunity for young people, saying, “In places like these where the minimum wage is only $8…a way to $12.25 is a miracle and an idea in juvenile minds that maybe those at City Hall do care about us.”

Local attorney and mayoral candidate Dan Siegel is supporting a $15 an hour minimum, citing statistics from the staff report presented at the CED meeting.

“The problems that we’re facing in Oakland are to a very large extent, a function of poverty,” he said. “We need to have a wage policy in Oakland that will allow our workers to get away from a life of poverty.”

The proposal included a survey for business owners.

Michael LeBlanc, owner of Pican restaurant in Uptown, said he is in favor of Reid’s proposal and of continuing the dialogue on raising the minimum wage. He called for an analysis of the minimum wage as a regional issue.

“If the minimum wage were at $15, I could no longer operate here in Oakland,” LeBlanc said.

Currently the minimum wage is $10.74 per hour in San Francisco; $10.15 in San Jose; and $9 per hour in Richmond. President Obama has recommended a federal minimum wage of $10.10.

“Cities are forced into doing things that should be done at the federal level,” said Councilmember Reid. “Congress should approve a minimum wage level so there is some consistency, and so it doesn’t put other cities at a disadvantage. Congress is not willing to do that, so that puts it on the backs of cities.

An economic consultant will be hired to study the minimum wage increase and how its impacts the local economy.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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March 1, 2026

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February 20, 2026

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CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III

WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

PROJECT NO. 2020.0050

BID NO. 25-26.011

BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III/PROJECT NO. 2020.0050 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14^th Street, 2^nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.
WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.
OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at:https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Public Works Department Engineering division at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14^th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@eastbayblueprint.com.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 883 8752 6074
Passcode: 502955
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88387526074?pwd=hZ5rjB8AWdLAUem3CtByFiZxqKarHj.1
And
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 2672 0472
Passcode: 091848
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/89826720472?pwd=JgZX2nXMpLSRM5xDPr7EJUxl7QIznr.1The information presented at the conferences will be identical, all bidders must attend one of the pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. A firm that didn’t attend the pre-bid conference isn’t qualified to bid on the project.Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.
VALUE OF WORK: The Engineer has estimated that the value of work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.
SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License
SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.