SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Both sides in the debate over raising San Diego's minimum wage spoke out Friday about a petition drive to bring the issue before the voters.
"Our veterans need help and they need help now. They don't need it next June. They need it now," former assemblyman Nathan Fletcher said.
Fletcher joined several military veterans in Balboa Park. They are urging people not to sign the petition. Fletcher says the 10,000 military veterans in San Diego making minimum wage can't afford to wait for voters.
Council members Scott Sherman and Lori Zapf held a separate news conference. They called attention to what they say is a campaign of harassment by people who oppose the ballot measure.
"Nobody deserves to be screamed at, nobody deserves to be harassed and nobody deserves to have their entire day's work stolen from them," Zapf said.
The ordinance passed by the City Council will raise San Diego's minimum wage incrementally to $11.50 by January 2017.