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Ballot Initiative Hiking Minimum Wage To $15 To Begin Collecting Signatures

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Supporters of a ballot initiative asking voters to raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles to $15 an hour were given the green light Wednesday by the City Clerk to begin collecting signatures.

The initiative proposes that most employers immediately raise the minimum wage for their employees to $15 an hour. Small businesses and nonprofits would have until Jan. 1, 2017 to raise their workers' wages to $15 per hour, under the proposal.

The initiative's proponents will be allowed to circulate their petition and gather signatures from registered voters to qualify the measure for the ballot.

This is not the only minimum wage hike proposal being considered. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a plan on Labor Day to gradually raise Los Angeles' minimum wage to $13.25 an hour by 2017.

Business leaders who oppose minimum wage hikes say it could lead employers to cut jobs, or drive businesses out of the city.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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