In support of the $15-an-hour minimum wage
EDITOR: Hello, my name is Ethan Dierke, and I am a freshman at Analy High School. I usually get A’s and B’s in school, and I have participated in Boy Scouts since the fifth grade. I have lived in Sebastopol all my life and love living in my small community.
I am writing to you because I am concerned about my future. It’s very expensive living in Sonoma County, and specifically Sebastopol. Currently the minimum wage is $11 dollars per hour, and if you work 40 hours per week, you make $440 dollars. You multiply that by 52 weeks and you are making $22,000 dollars per year before taxes are pulled out. To rent a one bedroom apartment in Sebastopol costs an average of $1,350 per month (or $16,200 per year).
I would barely be able to afford to live in an apartment, let alone pay for food, turn the lights on or own a vehicle.
This is very discouraging to me. I want to stay and live in Sebastopol and raise my family here. At this time, I could not afford to do that.
I think minimum wage should be raised to $15 dollars per hour. By increasing the minimum wage, I will have a better chance of staying in Sebastopol and living here once I graduate from Analy.
Thank you for listening.
Ethan Dierke
Scouting Troop 32
Sebastopol
