In 1999, San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an analysis of a proposed living wage ordinance for San Francisco. The analysis documented the benefits to adult health and children's education achievement attributable to the adoption of a living wage of $11.00 per hour. The findings were significant. We predicted adoption of the increased would result in decreases in the risk of premature death by 5% for adults 24-44 years of age in households whose current income was around $20,000. For the offspring these workers, a living wage would result in an increase of a quarter of a year of completed education, a 34% increased odds of high school completion, and a 22% decrease in the risk of early childbirth. The American Journal of Public Health published this analysis in 2001. In 2002, city legislators invited the San Francisco Department of Public Health to participate in city policy discussions on augmenting local minimum wage standard for all San Francisco residents. In 2003, San Francisco residents passed Proposition L increasing the minimum wage from $6.75 to $8.50 for over 50,000 workers in San Francisco.
Testimony to San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee in support of proposed amendments to the Minimum Compensation Ordinance (pdf)
Estimation of Health Benefits From a Local Living Wage Ordinance (pdf)
San Francisco Minimum Wage Ordinance (link to pdf file at sfgov.org)