Wage and Hour Lawyer in Pasadena

Pasadena's $18.04/hour city minimum wage (rising to $18.57/hour on July 1, 2026) is the dominant local twist for wage claims. Caltech is a current class-action defendant for wage-and-hour violations (caltechlawsuit.com). California's PAGA reform raised the aggrieved-employee share of penalties from 25% to 35% (effective June 19, 2024). Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Are Wage and Hour Claims in Pasadena

Pasadena workers are entitled to the highest of: federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour), California state minimum wage ($16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026 under California Labor Code section 1182.12), or any applicable local minimum wage. Pasadena has its own Minimum Wage Ordinance (adopted March 14, 2016). The citywide minimum wage is $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026 - the highest in the San Gabriel Valley. Fast-food workers at chains with 60 or more national locations earn at least $20.00/hour under AB 1228 (California Labor Code section 1474) since April 1, 2024. Healthcare workers at covered facilities earn tiered rates under SB 525 (California Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) reaching $25/hour at large hospital systems on July 1, 2026.

Pasadena Industries Where Wage and Hour Violations Are Most Common

• Aerospace, research, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) workers - at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed by Caltech under a $30 billion 10-year contract running through September 30, 2028 (after 68 years NASA is opening JPL's contract to competitive bidding for the first time, with significant workforce uncertainty). JPL/Caltech engineers and scientists are protected by federal whistleblower laws including the NASA Inspector General Act, Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for any federal contractor work, and California whistleblower protections (Cal. Labor Code section 1102.5). Any major reduction in force may trigger California WARN Act (Cal. Labor Code section 1400 et seq.) notice obligations.
• Higher education workers at Caltech - at the California Institute of Technology - a private research university with a globally-recognized faculty and research staff. Caltech employees have federal whistleblower protections under the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733) for reporting fraud against the U.S. government on federally-funded research, Title IX (20 U.S.C. section 1681), the National Labor Relations Act, and California FEHA / Labor Code protections. Caltech faculty and grad-student researchers have important protections under California Labor Code section 1102.5 (whistleblower retaliation) and Education Code provisions.
• Healthcare workers at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital) - at Huntington Health (Huntington Hospital) - one of the major hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley. Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) which reaches $25/hour at large hospital systems on July 1, 2026; California Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation); and CNA / SEIU-UHW / NUHW collective bargaining agreements.
• K-12 education workers at Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) - at the Pasadena Unified School District. Covered by California Education Code sections 44930-44987 (permanent-employee dismissal protections), the Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA / Cal. Gov. Code sections 3540-3549.3), Cal. Education Code section 44113 (school-employee whistleblower protections), and CTA-affiliated collective bargaining agreements. PUSD has a dual-enrollment program with Pasadena City College. PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline apply.
• Community college workers at Pasadena City College (PCC) - at Pasadena City College. Community-college employees are covered by HEERA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3560-3599), Cal. Education Code sections 87600-87683, PEPRA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• City of Pasadena government and Pasadena Water and Power workers - at the City of Pasadena (charter city), the Pasadena Police Department, the Pasadena Fire Department, and Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) - the city's municipally-owned electric and water utility. PWP utility workers may have Energy Reorganization Act section 5851 (42 U.S.C. section 5851) whistleblower protections. Police covered by POBR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.); firefighters by FBOR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3250 et seq.); all public employees by PEPRA, MMBA (Cal. Gov. Code sections 3500-3511), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail, restaurant, and hospitality workers in Old Town Pasadena - at Old Town Pasadena, along South Lake Avenue, and at Paseo Colorado. Pasadena has its own Minimum Wage Ordinance (adopted March 14, 2016), with the citywide minimum wage rising to $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026 (up from $18.04). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).

Pasadena Local Protections

Pasadena has its own Minimum Wage Ordinance adopted by the Pasadena City Council on March 14, 2016. The citywide minimum wage rises to $18.57/hour effective July 1, 2026 (up from $18.04), the highest in the San Gabriel Valley. Pasadena workers are also covered by the California state minimum wage floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1182.12 - $16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026) and industry-specific state rules including AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food), SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule - directly relevant to Huntington Health workers), and AB 701 (warehouse quotas).

California Paid Sick Leave (Labor Code sections 245-249) requires at least 40 hours (5 days) of paid sick leave per year, effective January 1, 2024. The 2026 exempt-salary floor is $70,304/year (twice the state minimum wage, per DIR News 2025-118).

California Law

For the full California wage-and-hour framework, including overtime (Labor Code section 510), meal and rest breaks (sections 512 and 226.7), wage statements (section 226), waiting-time penalties (section 203), expense reimbursement (section 2802), and PAGA (sections 2698 et seq.), see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

Unpaid wages, overtime, missed meal/rest premiums (one hour of pay per missed break), wage-statement penalties (up to $4,000 per employee under Labor Code section 226(e)), waiting-time penalties (up to 30 days of pay under Labor Code section 203), interest, liquidated damages on minimum-wage shortfalls, and attorneys' fees and costs (Labor Code section 1194). For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Wage Claim in Pasadena

Wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Van Nuys Office, 6150 Van Nuys Boulevard, Room 100, Van Nuys, CA 91401). Civil suits are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court - Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (Northeast District). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.