Honored S anta Cruz needs a Living Wage Ordinance. This area is rapidly becoming on of the most expensive places in the country Santa Cruz was recently ranked the second most unaffordable place to live in the nation by the National Association of Homebuilders.
Workers can no longer live in the community they support with their labor.
It is a wage hardly acceptable for a high school student working ten hours a week after school, much less for someone who is trying to support a family. The Santa Cruz Coalition for a Living Wage has been researching the labor scene for more than two years, advocating a Living Wage Ordinance. Housing is so expensive here that a full time minimum wage worker would be virtually unable to afford a suitable space to live in the area. According to the Santa Cruz Housing Authority, a worker earning minimum wage would have to put in 128 hours a week to afford even a two bedroom unit in the community. The Santa Cruz City Council will soon be reviewing a draft of the ordinance.