Payment of Living Wage and Provision of Benefits
San Diego Municipal Code § 22.4220
in effect§22.4220 Payment of Living Wage and Provision of Benefits
(a) Covered employers subject to this Division must pay covered employees the hourly wage rate and health benefits rate posted on the City’s web site for that fiscal year.
(b) The hourly wage rates will be upwardly adjusted each July 1 to reflect the change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the San Diego – Carlsbad – San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area for the twelve-month period preceding December 31. The health benefits rate will be consistent with the Affordable Care Act and any other applicable federal and state law provisions. Prior to April 1 of each year, the City will calculate the new rates and provide notice to all covered employers by posting on the City’s web site the rates in effect for the next fiscal year.
(c) Covered employers must provide to each covered employee a minimum of eighty hours per year of compensated leave. Compensated leave must vest as accrued, in accordance with applicable state law and covered employer policies. Part-time employees must accrue compensated leave at a rate proportional to full-time employees. A covered employee, working under a service contract to provide services for the City of one day or less, must be paid additional wages in an amount equal to the proportional rate of compensated leave, in lieu of receipt of compensated leave.
(d) Covered employees must be eligible to use accrued days off after the first six months of employment or consistent with employer policy, whichever is earlier.
(e) Covered employers must also permit covered employees to take a minimum of eighty hours of uncompensated leave per year to be used for the illness of the covered employee or a member of his or her immediate family, when the covered employee has exhausted all accrued compensated leave.
(f) This section does not mandate the accrual from year to year of uncompensated leave.
(g) The City will provide covered employers with credit toward the total amount of compensated leave required under this Division for the paid sick leave they must provide under the California Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014.
(h) Covered employers must pay covered employees the state prevailing wage rate as specified in section 22.3019 if the prevailing wage rate is higher than the wage rate specified in this Division. For purposes of this section, “wage rate” means the sum of required hourly wages, health benefits, and compensated leave.
(Added 6-6-2005 by O-19386 N.S.)
(Amended 2-26-2014 by O-20352 N.S.; effective 3-28-2014.)
(Amended 3-2-2016 by O-20607 N.S.; effective 4-1-2016.)
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter02/Ch02Art02Division42.pdf#page=7Fetched: 10/28/2026