California legislators and labor unions on Saturday reached an agreement that will take the state’s minimum wage from $10 to $15 an hour, a state senator said, a move that would make for the largest statewide minimum in the nation by far.
Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, told The Associated Press the proposal would go before the Legislature as part of his minimum-wage bill that stalled last year.
Leno said the deal would avoid taking the issue to the ballot. One union-backed initiative has already qualified for the ballot, and a second, competing measure is also trying to qualify.
