California's minimum wage goes up to $12.00 an hour starting in 2019

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Effective January 1, the minimum wage for California employers with 25 or less employees increases from $10.50 to $11.00 an hour. Employers with 26 or more employees will see wages increase from $11.00 to $12.00 an hour.

Salaries will continue to go up $1.00 a year until it reaches $15.00 an hour. The increases began in January 2017. There are some employees who are exempt from the minimum wage law, such as outside salespersons, individuals who are the parent, spouse, or child of the employer and apprentices regularly indentured under the State Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

Some cities already have higher minimum wages than the state requires.

If your employer doesn't pay the minimum wage, you can either file a wage claim or file a lawsuit in court against your employer to recover the lost wages.

More information on California's minimum wage laws can be found here.