In West Hollywood, saying something ridiculous is usually just a prelude to passing it into law. So when Councilmember Danny Hang publicly declared that the minimum wage should be $40 an hour, we took him at his word.
After all, West Hollywood prides itself on leading the nation—whether it’s banning fur, mandating condoms in adult films, or setting the highest minimum wage in the country (until L.A. leapfrogged us last week). So why stop at $30?
Let’s be bold. Let’s get loud. Let’s do what no city has done:
$40 by 2028. Codified. Indexed. Enshrined.
Wait, did he really say that?
Yes. During campaign events and public forums, Hang floated $40/hour as a just wage—one that reflects not just inflation but the real cost of dignity in West Hollywood. He’s not wrong: our rent is obscene, our groceries are gold-plated, and you can’t get a cold brew for less than $7 unless you’re ordering it from Culver City.
But now that he’s in office, where’s the ordinance? Where’s the wage plan? Where’s the glide path to $40 that will maintain West Hollywood’s status as the most progressive labor jurisdiction in America?
If we can demand four-lane reductions on Fountain Avenue in the name of “Vision Zero,” surely we can phase in a livable wage under “Economic Vision One.”
The math is easier than you think
To reach $40/hr by July 1, 2028, we’d need a roughly $5 annual bump from the current $19.65. That’s ambitious—but so was jumping from $14 to nearly $20 in just three years. We’ve done it before. We can do it again. Especially if we exempt micro-businesses, subsidize compliance, and spin the PR like it’s a luxury virtue signal.
Just imagine the headlines:
“WeHo Delivers $40 Minimum Wage—Nation’s First.”
“Baristas Earn More Than Texas Teachers, and That’s Fine.”
“Danny Hang: The Face on the New 40.”
If you meant it, Councilmember, bring the motion
No one forced Hang to say $40/hour. He wasn’t ambushed. He wasn’t misquoted. He said it because it played well in the room.
So now we ask: was that just a throwaway applause line? Or is it a policy position?
The ordinance can be simple:
- Annual minimum wage increases of $5/year for all sectors
- Beginning July 1, 2025
- Topping out at $40/hour on July 1, 2028
- Indexed to CPI thereafter
- Exceptions, carve-outs, and complexity available upon request (this is West Hollywood, after all)
Don’t talk about it. Index it.
This city has never shied away from performative progressivism. But every so often, it accidentally changes the national conversation.
So let’s not let Danny Hang’s boldest idea die on the dais. Let’s codify it, calendar it, and campaign on it.
