Wage hike cut postponed

City Council voted to postpone a proposal to reduce a 3 percent raise for most city employees Thursday. Though Council members initially voted not to postpone the item, that motion was reconsidered later in the discussion, after it became clear that a vote held right then would most likely kill the resolution. Instead, the proposition will be taken up during the regular budget process, which begins in earnest next week. The motion to postpone passed in a vote of 7-4 with Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and Council Members Leslie Pool, Delia Garza and Greg Casar voting in opposition. Those who voted against the postponement seemed inclined to kill the resolution outright. As Garza explained, “I’m ready to vote on this, and vote against it. I feel like this is the easiest way to address affordability in our city – the direct way is to pay our city workers a fair wage.”