A proposed city ordinance that would force grocery and drug store chains in Irvine, California, to pay their workers an extra $4 an hour in hazard pay for the next four months has cleared its first hurdle. On Feb. 9, the Irvine City Council passed the first reading of Mayor Farrah Khan’s proposal by a 3-2 vote. Councilmembers Mike Carroll and Anthony Kuo, both Republicans, opposed the measure, while Councilmembers Larry Agran and Tammy Kim joined Khan by voting in favor. According to Khan, a substantial increase in grocery chain profits last year is more than enough to cover the costs of “hero pay” for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the beginning, grocery stores offered hazard pay, and after a few months revoked it—yet the work and the risk of contracting the virus continues,” Khan said. “Just in Irvine, we have had over 83 workers contract the virus …