The minimum wage will be going up in Novato beginning Jan. 1 following an ordinance passed by the City Council that provides for it to be adjusted annually.

The wage increases are based on the size of the business. For very large businesses with over 100 employees, the new rate will be $16.86 per hour, up from $16.32. For large businesses with between 26 to 99 employees, the rate will be $16.60 per hour, up from $16.07. And for small businesses with less than 25 employees, the rate will be $16.04 per hour, up from $15.53.

The city of Novato will increase its minimum wage for all employers on Jan. 1, 2024. A chart produced by the city shows how the local minimum wage has progressed compared with the state minimum since 2019. (Source: City of Novato)

The Novato minimum wage applies to anyone who works more than two hours per week within the city limits.

In October 2019, the Novato City Council adopted the local minimum wage ordinance, which took a phased approach to gradually allowing all Novato employees to reach $15 per hour one year earlier than the state demanded it.

According to the local law, once the minimum wage reached $15, it must continue to be adjusted annually, regardless of the number of employees a business has. The adjustment is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the area or 3.5 percent, whichever is less.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.