Abramson Labor Group represents San Diego employees in unpaid wages, wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation, on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win. San Diego sets its own wage rules on top of state law: a citywide minimum wage, a separate and higher wage for hotel, event-center, and amusement-park workers that took effect July 1, 2026, and its own sick leave rules. The San Diego Superior Court hears the city’s employment lawsuits at the Hall of Justice downtown.

Why San Diego Employees Choose Abramson Labor Group

  • We take cases for workers, not companies. Every strategy we build serves the employee.
  • More than 1,900 Google reviewers give us an average of 4.5 stars (as of September 2026).
  • Our case results include $1.7 million in a wrongful termination case and $1.5 million in a sexual harassment case.
  • Founding partner Zev Abramson holds recognitions that include Top 100 Jury Verdicts of California (2020) and Top 100 U.S. Labor and Employment (2024).
  • Spanish-speaking clients can work with us from intake to resolution, and we also assess cases in Armenian.
  • We track San Diego’s local wage ordinances, so we catch underpayments that a state-law-only review would miss.

Employment Law in San Diego: What Local Workers Should Know

Tourism, life sciences, defense, and healthcare drive San Diego’s job market, and the city layers its own protections on top of California law. These are the local rules workers most often do not know about.

San Diego’s citywide minimum wage

Since January 1, 2026, every employer must pay at least $17.75 per hour for work inside city limits, above the $16.90 state rate. The ordinance covers every industry with no exceptions, applies to anyone who works at least two hours in a week in the city, and does not let employers count tips toward the minimum (City of San Diego, Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Ordinance).

Hotel, event-center, and amusement-park workers earn more

Since July 1, 2026, a separate hospitality wage applies. Hotels with 150 or more rooms and covered amusement parks must pay at least $19.00 per hour, and the covered event centers, Petco Park, Pechanga Arena, the San Diego Convention Center, and the Civic Theatre, must pay at least $21.06. Both rates climb each July until they reach $25.00 in 2030, and the ordinance bars retaliation against workers who assert these rights (City of San Diego, Hospitality Minimum Wage Ordinance).

City sick leave rules go further than you might expect

You earn at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours you work in the city. Your employer may cap your total bank at 80 hours and your use at 40 hours a year, but unused hours must carry over to the next year (City of San Diego). An employer that wipes your balance each January, or refuses leave you have earned, is breaking the ordinance.

Salaried lab, tech, and contractor staff may still earn overtime

Biotech labs and defense contractors often label research associates, technicians, and coordinators as exempt. That label only holds if you earn at least $70,304 a year in 2026 and your job mainly calls for real managerial, administrative, or professional judgment (California Department of Industrial Relations). Workers who serve in the reserves have added reemployment rights, which we cover on our Chula Vista page.

Questions about your job or paycheck? Get a free, confidential case review.

What to Look For in a San Diego Employment Lawyer

  • Loyalty to employees. Ask whether the firm ever represents employers. If it does, its incentives differ from yours.
  • Command of city ordinances. The citywide wage, the hospitality wage, and city sick leave each set their own rules. Your lawyer should check all three.
  • A track record in your claim type. Wage underpayment, exempt misclassification, and retaliation take different evidence. Ask about results in yours.
  • No upfront cost. Under a contingency fee, the firm earns a fee only if you recover money.

Which Court Hears San Diego Employment Cases

The San Diego Superior Court hears the city’s civil cases at the Hall of Justice, 330 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101. The city also runs its own labor standards office, which takes complaints about the local minimum wage, hospitality wage, and sick leave. You will not need to go to the courthouse to begin. Our team files the case, and most matters end without a court appearance by you.

Employment Cases We Handle for San Diego Workers

Serving San Diego and Nearby Communities

We represent employees across San Diego, including Downtown, Mission Valley, and Sorrento Valley, and throughout the county in nearby Chula Vista and Oceanside. Outside the area? Our statewide employment practice covers the rest of California.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum wage in San Diego?

$17.75 per hour since January 1, 2026, for work inside city limits, with no industry exceptions (City of San Diego). The hospitality ordinance sets a higher floor for workers at large hotels, covered amusement parks, and the city’s major event centers. Other cities in the county follow the $16.90 state rate unless they set their own.

I work at a hotel or at Petco Park. Does the hospitality wage cover me?

If you work at least two hours a week for a covered employer in the city, yes. That means a hotel with 150 or more guest rooms, a qualifying amusement park, or one of the four named event centers: Petco Park, Pechanga Arena, the San Diego Convention Center, or the Civic Theatre. The floor is $19.00 at hotels and amusement parks and $21.06 at event centers, rising to $25.00 by July 1, 2030 (City of San Diego).

How much sick leave do San Diego workers earn?

At least one hour for every 30 hours worked in the city. Your employer can cap your bank at 80 hours and limit use to 40 hours a year, but it must carry unused hours forward (City of San Diego). You can use the leave for your own medical care or a family member’s.

How much does a San Diego employment lawyer cost?

Nothing out of your own pocket. You do not pay anything unless we win, and your first case evaluation costs nothing. On contingency, you will not pay for legal counsel or court fees out of pocket, and our fee comes only from what we recover for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fees.

Request a Free San Diego Employment Law Case Review

If your paycheck does not reflect the city rate, the hospitality rate, or the sick leave you have earned, find out what your employer owes you. Call (213) 493-6300 or request a free case review. It is free and confidential, with no obligation. You do not pay ANYTHING unless we win!

Last updated: September 2026. This page offers general information, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed California employment attorney.