[img]1717|right|Curren Price||no_popup[/img]Poverty in Los Angeles has reached epic proportions. Our city has the embarrassing distinction of having the highest poverty rate of any major city in America.

Making matters worse – many residents struggling to make ends meet already are working fulltime.

Folks serving some of our most basic needs are working hard for their paycheck. Yet they are subject to poverty wages that don't give them enough to support themselves or their families.

Nearly one-third of Angelenos are working fulltime, and still earning wages that keep them below the federal poverty line.

That is unacceptable.

Nowhere are we feeling this more than in the community I represent, the Ninth Council District where nearly 40 percent of our residents are living in poverty.

As we have seen across the nation, cities are having a serious conversation about poverty.

President Obama has called income inequality the defining issue of our time. This week I was very proud to join with Mayor Garcetti and my City Council colleagues to announce our city's push to raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles.

Lifting our minimum wage isn't just about doing what's just and fair. It is sound economic policy. We never will be a thriving city if we continue to leave so many behind. When we raise our city's minimum wage, we will give our local economy a financial booster shot, finally giving hundreds of thousands of residents the buying power they need to spend in their local stores and restaurants, and helping to grow our local economy.

Join me in my efforts to advocate for a better quality of life for Angelenos and voice your support for our efforts to #raisethewageLA. For more information you can visit www.raisethewagela.org

Councilman Price may be contacted at http://www.the-new-ninth.com/