Effective Jan. 1, 2022, California’s minimum hourly wage increased to $15 for employers with 26 or more employees and $14 for employers with 25 or fewer employees—the highest hourly wage in the nation. In 2016, former Gov. Jerry Brown approved Senate Bill 3, a “new minimum wage phase-in requirement” that incrementally increases employees’ income by $1 per year until reaching the $15 cap. “This law increases the minimum wage over time consistent with economic expansion while providing safety valves to pause wage increases if negative economic or budgetary conditions emerge,” the California Department of Industrial Relations said in a Dec. 14 statement. Labor rights groups like Fight for $15 spearheaded the movement nearly a decade ago when the state’s minimum hourly wage was $8. Although California law requires state minimum wage, cities and counties within the state offer higher minimum wages due to local ordinances. Last month, the City of West Hollywood …