On July 23, 2025, a press release from the city clerk of Los Angeles, California announced that Ordinance 188610, enacted in May 2025 to increase the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers, is being suspended indefinitely while a referendum against the law is under review.
Ordinance 188610 contains scheduled minimum wage increases to take place annually each July 1, with hotel and airport workers reaching $30 per hour by 2028. Currently, the ordinance has the minimum wage for hotel workers as $20.32, and $19.28 for airport workers, an increase from the city’s standard minimum wage of $17.87. Additionally, if airport workers do not receive sufficient health benefits from employers, the ordinance entitles them to an additional hourly wage rate of $7.65.
Hotel workers are covered under the ordinance if they are not managerial or supervisory employees, and work in hotels with at least 60 guest rooms. Airport workers are covered under the ordinance if they provide industry-specific services to or for Los Angeles World Airports, the authority that operates Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport. The ordinance is intended to support workers in industries anticipated to benefit from upcoming Los Angeles events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
Although the ordinance is suspended, the hotel worker minimum wage still increased on July 1, 2025 to $21.01 from $20.32. If the referendum is certified by the city clerk, the Los Angeles City Council must either repeal the ordinance or submit the ordinance to the voters in an election. The city council may request a report on the ordinance and its impact on the city, but it must make its decision within 30 days after requesting the report.