[KHTS] – Santa Clarita Valley employers are preparing for a minimum wage hike effective Jan. 1, 2016, although some employers will eventually be paying a higher minimum than others in Los Angeles County.

California’s minimum wage will increase statewide to $10 per hour on Friday, and L.A. County will raise its minimum wage to $15, starting at $10 and then increasing over the next five years.

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation on Sept. 25, 2013, raising California’s minimum wage to $9 per hour on July 1, 2014, with a final adjustment to $10 per hour on January 1, 2016. It marked the first increase in California’s hourly minimum since 2008, when the minimum wage was raised 50 cents to $8.

Earlier this year the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to phase in a minimum wage hike to $15 in 2020, beginning with a mid-year 2016 raise to $10.50. The move applies only to the unincorporated county communities such as Stevenson Ranch, Castaic and Agua Dulce.

“The city of Santa Clarita has no plans to do any increases in minimum wage,” said Jason Crawford, Santa Clarita’s economic development manager. “We will just default to what the state does.”

Some Santa Clarita businesses located in the unincorporated areas of the valley will have to comply with the county’s higher wage rates, and some fear it will can create confusion.

“It gets problematic when it comes to city and county lines,” said Assemblyman Scott Wilk.

For instance, one employee could be making $10 an hour while another just up the street makes (eventually) $15 an hour doing the same thing, said Wilk.

“This creates an uneven playing field,” he said.

Additional Information About Minimum Wage

State law requires employers to post information on wages, hours and working conditions at a worksite area accessible to employees.

Notices for the wage orders in English and Spanish can be downloaded and printed from the Workplace postings page on the DIR website.

Almost all employees in California must be paid the minimum wage as required by state law. Workers who are paid less than the minimum wage may file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner’s office.

DIR protects and improves the health, safety and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws.

DIR’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or DLSE, also known as the Labor Commissioner’s Office, enforces prevailing wage rates and apprenticeship standards in public works projects, inspects workplaces for wage and hour violations, adjudicates wage claims, investigates retaliation complaints, issues licenses and registrations for businesses and educates the public on labor laws.

Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734).

The California Workers’ Information line at 866-924-9757 provides recorded information in English and Spanish on a variety of work-related topics.

Note to Secret Service: This image was provided by the Calif. Dept. of Industrial Relations