The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a plan Tuesday to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated county areas to $15 by July 1, 2020.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, 3rd District, was joined by Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to announce the county’s minimum wage increase. (photo courtesy of the County of Los Angeles)

The plan, spearheaded by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, 3rd District, mirrors a plan passed by the city of Los Angeles that increases wages to $15 by 2020. Businesses with fewer than 26 employees and nonprofits will be required to meet the $15-per-hour wage requirement by 2021.

“I feel elated. I am just very, very happy this happened,” Kuehl said. “I think it’s a wage of equity, it’s a way to close the gap.”

Kuehl was joined at a press conference Wednesday in the San Fernando Valley announcing the minimum wage increase by Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Eric Garcetti, who have advocated for higher wages for the lowest paid workers. Garcetti testified before the board in support of the increase prior to the decision made Tuesday.

The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan in May to raise the minimum wage to $10.50 by July 1, 2016, with incremental increases each year until 2020. The county plan includes the same increases, creating a system that, between the city and unincorporated portions of the county, would apply to approximately 5 million people — more than half of the countywide workforce.

Kuehl said she hopes the increase will improve quality of life countywide, and that the plan will serve as a model for other cities and states. Incorporated cities in Los Angeles would not be covered under the plan.

Some cities, including West Hollywood and Santa Monica, are already examining the potential for increasing the minimum wage. West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath testified at the board meeting on Tuesday in support of Kuehl’s measure, and said she has even higher hopes for West Hollywood.

“I expect we will do at least $15, and I expect it will be done sooner than 2020,” Horvath said. “We have to make sure people are being paid fair wages for the work they are doing.”

Horvath said the council will likely examine the minimum wage increase during a council meeting next month, although it hasn’t been formally scheduled. The city will also consult with the business community and workers to determine the impact an increase would have.

“We are a progressive city. We believe in taking care of people,” Horvath added. “I want to see us move on something a little bit higher and a little bit sooner.”

Kuehl said the board also approved a plan Tuesday to address wage theft throughout the county, and asked for a report on the best way to enforce regulations requiring employers to pay employees in a timely manner.

“We have heard disturbing reports about employees having pay withheld,” Kuehl said. “We asked the [county] CEO to come back with ways on how to do wage enforcement.”

Kuehl added that she hopes to work with the city of Los Angeles on wage payment enforcement, and will be exploring ways to create partnerships. She is optimistic the wage measures will provide a significant positive impact on the lives of residents, and that soon the entire county will have a unified minimum wage.

“It’s kind of a tipping point,” Kuehl said. “[Some] cities are looking at it and I hope more will follow.”