California health workers this month will finally get a long-promised minimum wage increase. It'll kick in late this month, according to a letter state health officials sent to the Legislature this week, describing a process that should trigger the pay boost. Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed a law, Senate Bill 525, that gradually phases in pay increases for the state's lowest-paid health workers to $25 an hour over a number of years. The law was initially set to go into effect June 1, but Newsom asked lawmakers for a delay because of state budget concerns. The law is expected to cost the state $1.4 billion in the first six months of implementation, according to estimates from earlier this year by the Department of Finance.
