Marin County residents, brace yourselves for a real shake-up in how we build homes—especially those townhouses cropping up in Novato, Sausalito, and Tiburon.
Assembly Bill 1751 sits at the center of this shift. It’s a pretty dense piece of legislation, aiming to speed up townhouse construction all over California.
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Here’s the gist: developers get a smoother, faster path to building, but in return, they have to pay construction workers a guaranteed minimum wage. Sounds simple, but nothing is ever that straightforward in Marin. Folks here are already deep in debate, especially about what this might mean for labor practices and the skilled trades that keep places like Larkspur and Mill Valley running.
## The $28 Minimum Wage: A Boon or a Barrier for Marin’s Workers?
So, the heart of Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva’s bill? A $28-per-hour minimum wage for people building townhouses. That’s a big jump from California’s current minimum of $16.90.
A lot of folks in Marin—whether they’re in San Rafael or tucked away in Belvedere—would love to see more homes. But as soon as you start talking about how this affects the skilled workers making these projects happen in places like Fairfax and Kentfield, things get complicated.
### Union Voices Raise Concerns About “Prevailing Wages”
The State Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents a ton of skilled trades—think electricians, plumbers, carpenters, all the people who make Marin homes what they are—has pushed back hard. They’re worried that setting a $28 minimum wage could actually drag down “prevailing wages,” which are based on what skilled workers really earn in the region.
Unions argue that if lots of developers start paying only the $28 minimum, those lower numbers could show up in wage surveys. That might eventually mean lower pay on publicly funded projects, not just in Marin but statewide.
* Sharon Quirk-Silva, the bill’s author, says the state Department of Industrial Relations won’t use the $28 townhouse wage when figuring out prevailing wages.
* But some critics aren’t buying it. They point out the federal government does its own surveys, and if those start reflecting the $28 minimum, federal prevailing wages—affecting projects in places like Tiburon and Sausalito—could end up lower too.
## Beyond the Wage: Land Use and the Future of Development
The wage debate grabs headlines, but the land-use parts of AB 1751 matter just as much—maybe even more, if you ask some folks. This bill would let townhouses skip certain environmental reviews and local planning controls.
In a county like Marin, famous for its landscapes and stubborn about keeping its character, that’s a big deal. Skipping established planning steps—especially those that ask for community input from places like Novato, San Rafael, and Tiburon—tends to make people uneasy.
Supporters, like the California Council of Carpenters, say the $28 wage is a big step up for most residential construction workers. Most of these workers aren’t union and earn less right now.
They see this policy as a way to boost labor standards and maybe spark more union organizing in towns like Larkspur and Mill Valley.
But the Trades Council feels uneasy. They worry that setting a lower, legislated minimum wage for pro-housing projects could start a trend.
They think it might chip away at union protections like prevailing-wage rules and the tough “skilled-and-trained” workforce requirements that unions fought hard for across Marin.
The bill barely squeaked through the Assembly. Some Democrats were still uneasy about the labor impacts, which hadn’t really been sorted out.
Adding the wage details at the last minute didn’t help; critics called the process rushed. It left plenty of people wondering what all this really means for workers and the construction industry in Marin, from Sausalito to West Marin.
Economists can’t agree on what happens next. They say it depends on local market conditions and how many union workers are around.
So, the real effect on union members’ paychecks in places like San Rafael and Novato? Still anyone’s guess.
Here is the source article for this story: A California housing bill would raise wages to $28. Why do some unions hate it?
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