Local campaigns to create high minimum wages in submetropolitan districts have become a growing part of the living wage movement. In this article, the authors examine the structure and likely effects of an ambitious minimum wage ordinance adopted by the Santa Monica City Council in 2001 but...

A common argument made against local passage of living wage laws is that they harm nonprofit organizations by compelling employers—with tight, strained budgets—to increase wages. Ninety-six nonprofits covered by Detroit’s living wage law were contacted 1 1/2 years after the...