The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will soon consider a proposal that would require hotel and theme park workers in unincorporated areas to be paid a minimum of $25 per hour, rising to $30 per hour by 2028, when the Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles.

Chair Janice Hahn, who introduced the motion at Tuesday’s board meeting, said too many employers pay their employees low wages, exacerbating poverty, homelessness and housing insecurity.

At the same time, hoteliers benefit from county investments in beaches and parks, drawing tourists to the region, and theme parks benefit from special destination privileges, giving the county a vested interest in how their employees are paid, Hahn said.

The measure would apply to employees of Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain, and people who work at hotels with more than 60 rooms.

If passed, the provincial ordinance would also require all service fees to be paid to the employees.

A $25 minimum wage, higher than the current minimum wage of $16.90, wouldn’t make these workers wealthy, but it would make their lives a little easier and could mean they don’t have to work multiple jobs to get into their homes. to stay.” said Hahn.

The regulators will consider the motion at their Sept. 12 meeting.

If Hahn’s motion passes, district officials will draft the Minimum Wage Ordinance for Retaining Tourist Workers within 45 days. The regulators then vote on the regulation. It was unclear how soon the ordinance would take effect if passed.

Hahn said the motion, co-authored by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, is similar to proposals being considered in Los Angeles and Long Beach, a point that industry leaders quickly fired back at.

Heather Rozman, president and CEO of Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles, said Hahn’s “copy and paste” legislation was bad public policy.

The board should do an economic impact analysis like cities with similar proposals before moving forward, Rozman said.

“Perhaps the supervisors can pay their district employees a minimum wage of $25 an hour first,” Rozman said in a statement. “It is disappointing that a special interest group is proposing ordinances in the Los Angeles area that would have a devastating impact on small business and local government tax revenues. Instead of focusing on a small percentage of workers, leaders in this region would develop a holistic solution to our affordability crisis that will benefit everyone.

Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, executive director of the California Attractions and Parks Assn., said her group had only just seen the proposal. “We welcome the supervisor’s invitation to engage all stakeholders,” Lockhart said in a statement.

At least some of the “huge increase in wages” could be passed on to consumers, though consumers, especially at theme parks, are already angry about the recent price hikes, said Martin Lewison, theme park expert and associate professor of business management at Farmingdale State College in New York City. York.

That’s why more theme park companies are looking to Central America to build theme parks for consumers who can’t afford to drive or fly to the coast for a Disney or Universal attraction, he said.

“Both industries have been resistant to wage increases for a long time,” Lewison said. “In some ways, this is justice for workers who you could argue have been historically underpaid, and so I certainly see how it could be politically popular to make such a proposal.”

Universal employee Danny Bernardo told regulators on Tuesday

it is a

common misconception that theme park employees are typically young people looking for seasonal work, while many have worked in parks for decades. Still a lot

barely earn above are hardly paid more than

minimum wage, despite their years of service, Bernardo said.

Many have second or third jobs, often full-time jobs elsewhere, and are on benefits, evicted from their homes and even skipping meals, he said.

“There are not just stories, these are the experiences of myself, my siblings, and relatives,” said Bernardo, member of the Amusement Area Employees Union B-192. “To cover living costs, many of our employees just work and don’t live.”

Times staff writer Hugo Martn contributed to this report.