Living wage law upheld

Don't look now, but the never ending saga over how much LAX-area hotels pays their workers might finally be over. The California Supreme Court will not hear the hotels' appeal of the living wage ordinance. Barring some other legal action, the ordinance will go into effect in about six weeks. The hotels had filed suit against the city in February 2007, alleging that the final ordinance passed by the L.A. City Council was too similar to an earlier version that the hotels had opposed. The hotels won the first round in May, but a state appellate court reversed the lower court ruling and let the ordinance stand. Under the Living Wage ordinance, workers are paid $9.39 an hour with benefits or $10.64 an hour without benefits. (LABJ)