Washington, D.C. (October 16, 2014) - The San Diego County Registrar recently announced that enough signatures have been gathered and certified to stop the ordinance from being implemented, beginning the process of overturning the City Council's short-sighted vote to raise the minimum wage and forcing a referendum on the issue.

Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), today welcomed the announcement and applauded the San Diego Small Business Coalition for its work fighting the extreme minimum wage hike, which would hurt employees, forcing job losses, reduced hours and benefits.

"The citizens of San Diego successfully raised their voices against ill-conceived City Council decisions that would have hurt the economy and cost badly-needed jobs and economic growth. This proposed minimum wage increase, which would have come on the heels of a state-mandated wage hike, is simply too high and too fast and clearly, most citizens of San Diego agree. I applaud the work that the San Diego Small Business Coalition has done to collect these signatures and stop the ordinance from being implemented, ensuring that small business owners in San Diego, including hoteliers, have another opportunity to protect jobs in the area. This is a win for employees and employers alike. With these signatures, the residents of San Diego have sent a clear message that these extreme minimum wage hikes are unwelcome."

With the certification of these signatures today, the referendum goes back to the City Council. The Council has ten days to rescind the ordinance, place it on the ballot for the next election, or schedule a special election.