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Mountain View’s minimum wage will rise 2.6% to $19.70 per hour in the new year, marking a 50 cent increase from the current $19.20 pay floor.
The city’s minimum wage has nearly doubled from $10.30 in 2015, which is when the City Council passed an ordinance to increase the pay rate over time.
From 2016 to 2018, Mountain View incrementally raised its pay floor until it reached $15 an hour. Starting in 2019, in accordance with the city’s ordinance, the minimum wage has been adjusted yearly based on increases in the regional Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation.
California is raising the state minimum wage from $16.50 to $16.90 per hour, also at the start of the new year. When there is a discrepancy between federal, state and city minimum wages, the employer has to follow the one that benefits the employee the most, according to the city’s website.
Mountain View’s 2026 minimum wage rate is higher than that of other nearby cities, such as Sunnyvale ($19.50), Palo Alto ($18.70), Los Altos ($18.70), Cupertino ($18.70) and East Palo Alto ($17.90).
The new pay floor applies to every employer who maintains a facility within the city or is subject to Mountain View’s business license tax, according to the city’s website. All employees, including adults and minors, who work two or more hours per week in Mountain View, must be paid at least $19.70 an hour, not including tips, starting on Jan. 1.
Employees who assert their rights to receive the city’s minimum wage are protected from retaliation, per the policy. People can report violations to the city manager’s office, as well as file civil lawsuits against their employers, the city wrote in its announcement.
For more information about the minimum wage in Mountain View, visit MountainView.gov/MinWage.
