Paid canvassers seeking to overturn San Diego’s minimum wage hike via a ballot initiative are lying to petition signers, a former state assemblywoman said Tuesday.
Lori Saldana said canvassers paid by business interests are telling voters that signing the petition will ensure that the minimum wage will be raised, not that it will allow a ballot challenge to the ordinance approved by the City Council.
She said canvassers are using “increasingly aggressive” tactics, even following voters into stores.
“It is an industry today. It’s not good-hearted volunteers,” she said. “I hope the City Council and the (city) ethics commission will learn from this experience.”
With Saldana were three San Diego residents who recounted their experiences with canvassers. Eric Thies said he was accosted in a store in Carmel Valley, but realized in time that the petition wasn’t what was claimed. “They were asking for my signature to do the exact opposite,” he said.
Raise Up San Diego, one of the organizations promoting a higher minimum wage, has created a form that can be signed to remove one’s name from the petition. The deadline to submit a form to the San Diego City Clerk is Sept. 17. Nearly 1,000 forms have been submitted so far, according to Raise Up San Diego.
The ordinance, approved over Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s veto, calls for the minimum wage to increase to $9.75 on Jan. 1, $10.50 on Jan. 1, 2016, and $11.50 on Jan. 1, 2017. After that, it would be indexed to inflation. The ordinance also requires five paid sick days.
