San Diego is one of the most visited cities in the United States. Our beaches, world-class attractions and perfect weather draw tens of millions of people each year. But none of that magic happens without workers.
It’s hotel housekeepers making sure every room is spotless. It’s dishwashers toiling behind the scenes. It’s the audio and visual technicians ensuring conference-goers have a great experience. It’s bellhops, valets, janitors, line cooks and countless others who make San Diego shine.
These workers power a multibillion-dollar tourism industry. And yet, many of them are living in poverty.
Let that sink in.
The very people who make our city a top-tier destination — who welcome, serve and care for visitors — are often the same people struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Many commute long distances because they can’t afford to live near their jobs. Some work two or even three jobs and still can’t make ends meet. They are exhausted and nearing a breaking point while their bosses make millions and corporations suck profit out of our city.
That has to change.
I’m proud to champion an ordinance that would raise the minimum wage for workers in San Diego’s tourism sector to $25 an hour.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t a radical idea. It’s a necessary correction. The cost of living in San Diego has exploded. Housing costs are astronomical. Gas and groceries continue to climb. Child care is out of reach for many families.
A $25 wage won’t make anyone rich, but it will help thousands of working families breathe a little easier. It means a hotel housekeeper might be able to pay rent and still afford groceries. It means a server might not have to choose between a doctor’s visit and an electric bill. It means fewer people working themselves to exhaustion just to keep their heads above water.
Critics will say $25 is too high. That it will hurt business. That we’ll scare off tourists or force layoffs. We’ve heard it all before — about raising the minimum wage to $15, about providing rest breaks, about enacting basic workplace protections. And every time, the sky doesn’t fall. Money keeps being made. In fact, corporations are doing great.
The hospitality corporations fighting us are not scraping by. In 2024, San Diego’s hotel sector booked a record 17.5 million rooms, and SeaWorld’s parent company reported $700 million in profit and returned nearly half a billion dollars to shareholders. Host Hotels & Resorts, which owns the Manchester Grand Hyatt, made over $5 billion last year and is spending $100 million renovating guest rooms to feel more like “luxury yachts.”
These are not small local businesses — we’ve exempted those. These are out-of-town corporations extracting wealth from our city, while the workers who make that wealth possible live one emergency away from homelessness
This is about values. Who does San Diego work for?
If it works for wealthy out-of-town investors, corporate executives and lobbyists, but not for the workers who make it run, then it’s not working. If a visitor can enjoy five-star service while the person providing it can’t afford a one-bedroom apartment in the city, then something is deeply broken.
San Diego must work for San Diegans. Raising the wage to $25 is a step toward fixing that.
We’ve seen what happens when we invest in our people. Stronger communities. Healthier families. Safer neighborhoods. More opportunity. That’s the San Diego we should be fighting for.
And this isn’t just a local issue, it’s a moral one. We should not accept a status quo where working full-time still means living in poverty. We should not applaud tourism revenue while ignoring the exploitation that often underpins it. We should not celebrate San Diego’s success if it doesn’t include the workers who make that success possible.
Tourism workers deserve more than our gratitude. They deserve respect, dignity, and a wage that honors their labor and essential role in our city’s economy.
San Diego has a chance to lead. To be bold. To say that we don’t have to choose between being a top destination and treating our workers with respect — we can, and must, do both.
Let’s make it official. Let’s raise the wage.
Elo-Rivera represents District 9 on the San Diego City Council and lives in Kensington.
