STATEMENT BY SUPERVISOR BARGER REGARDING HER VOTE ON PROPOSED “HERO PAY”

“I am truly grateful for the thousands of essential workers who have worked continuously throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes those in grocery, retail, and drug stores; food services and manufacturing; healthcare; law enforcement; and countless others who interact with the public on a daily basis. They are all heroes. However, the proposed ‘Hero Pay’ ordinance does not address all our essential workers – in fact, it only represents a small sliver of the essential workforce. It is unfair to select one sector over scores of others in determining ‘Hero Pay’ for its employees.

“More importantly, I have concerns about the unintended consequences that will result from this Board directing salaries in the private sector. Stores can pass on additional labor costs to the public through price increases. However, they may also reduce the hours of the impacted workers or decrease the number of employees that they hire. Long Beach has already seen grocery retailers closing as a result of a local hazard pay ordinance. Creating a more unfriendly business climate may hurt our region at a time when we need to support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are also issues around food access, food insecurity, and food deserts; and I fear that a mandated ‘Hero Pay’ in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will only further exacerbate these concerns.

“Rather than move forward with this ordinance, I would encourage this Board to work with our partners and stakeholders to find opportunities to reward and support the thousands of essential workers across multiple sectors in the region.”