The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday backed a plan to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, joining a trend sweeping cities across the country as elected leaders seek to boost stagnating pay for workers on the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder.

Lawmakers agreed to draft an ordinance raising the $9-an-hour base wage to $15 by 2020 for as many as 800,000 workers, making L.A. the largest city in the nation to adopt a major minimum-wage hike. Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle already have approved similar increases, and raising the federal minimum wage has moved to the forefront of the Democratic Party’s agenda.

“Make no mistake,” said Councilman Paul Krekorian, who was instrumental in shaping the city’s plan. “Today the city of Los Angeles, the second biggest city in the nation, is leading the nation.”

On a 14 to 1 vote, the council instructed City Atty. Mike Feuer to prepare an ordinance carrying out the wage hikes, setting the stage for a final vote on the measure next month. Mayor Eric Garcetti has already promised to sign the wage increase into law, allowing the first wage boost — to $10.50 per hour — to take effect in July 2016.

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