LOS ANGELES (AP) - California and New York acted Monday to gradually push their statewide minimum wages to $15 an hour - the highest in the nation - as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders again seized on wage disparity and the plight of the working poor in their taut fight for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a raucous rally in Manhattan as he signed the law that will gradually boost that state's pay rate. The former first lady predicted the movement will "sweep our country."
Sanders said in a statement that his campaign is about building on the steps in California and New York "so that everyone in this country can enjoy the dignity and basic economic security that comes from a living wage."
The new laws in California and New York mark the most ambitious moves yet to close the national divide between rich and poor. Experts say other states may follow, given Congress' reluctance to act despite entreaties from President Barack Obama.
In Los Angeles, Gov. Jerry Brown was cheered by union workers - some chanting in Spanish - as he signed a bill into law that will lift the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022.
The bill's effects could vary widely in the vast and diverse state, from sparsely populated mountain and desert areas to inner city Los Angeles and wealthy Silicon Valley.
While it was a victory for those struggling on the margins of the economy, business groups warned that the move could cost thousands of jobs as employers are forced to provide steadily bigger paychecks.
A $15 base wage will have "devastating impacts on small businesses in California," Tom Scott, executive director of the state branch of the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a statement. "Ignoring the voices and concerns of the vast majority of job creators in this state is deeply concerning and illustrates why many feel Sacramento is broken."
The bill was pushed through the Legislature by Democrats - who control both chambers - without a single Republican vote. A nonpartisan legislative analysis put the cost to California taxpayers at $3.6 billion a year in higher pay for government employees.