It's official: Los Angeles is now the largest city in America to guarantee workers at least $15 an hour.
Mayor Eric Garcetti on Saturday signed into law a bill raising the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 over the next five years. The move was expected after city council had passed the legislation by a near unanimous vote.
The minimum wage is already set to increase to $10 per hour across California in 2016.
And the state Assembly is considering another statewide wage hike: A bill that passed the state Senate recently would bring the rate to $13 per hour by 2017.
In Los Angeles, several groups representing restaurants, theater owners and small businesses opposed the change.
Related: This governor has a message for businesses about wages
Los Angeles is the latest in a wave of cities to raise the minimum wage.
--San Francisco voted last November to increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018.
--San Diego will hike its minimum wage to $11.50 by 2017, a measure it passed last August despite a veto from the city's mayor.
--Chicago will bring the minimum wage to $13 by 2019, although the Illinois rate is $8.25 per hour.
--Seattle will increase its minimum wage to $15 by 2018, which will probably put it ahead of Washington state's wage.
