Alexis Frank shares a small two-bedroom apartment with her mother and aunt in Los Angeles, Calif. They receive public assistance and Section 8 housing. Even with the assistance of the state, Frank struggles to keep up with rent and bills. She goes to work from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. with no time or money to do much else.

“I go to work then go home, Monday through Friday. I have to pack a lunch because my funds don’t allow me to buy anything out. I barely have enough gas to last me for a couple of weeks,” said Frank, a 32-year-old security guard at the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group company bottling plant in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles citizens are fighting for better minimum wages to be able to properly care for themselves and their families. Fast food workers and many others are paid minimum wage at $9 an hour. They are not able to pay rent, other bills, and necessities but work full-time and overtime just to get by.

The fight for a $15 minimum wage is in full effect. With petitions across the county and the movement traveling to many different cities, San Francisco and Seattle have already jumped on board with the pay increase. But hopeful employees from Los Angeles wait in agony to endure a change.

Matt Schwartz, president and chief executive of the California Housing Partnership, a company that advocates for affordable housing, reported that Los Angeles residents need to earn at least $33 an hour — $68,640 a year — to be able to afford the average apartment in Los Angeles County. The $33 an hour figure is based on the average L.A. County apartment rental price of $1,716 a month, from USC’s 2014 Casden Multifamily Forecast. An apartment is considered affordable when you spend no more than 30 percent of your paycheck on rent.

According to raisetheminimumwage.com, fifteen states, plus the District of Columbia, index their minimum wages to rise automatically with the cost of living. Unfortunately, California does not follow this trend and leaves its citizens working day and night with little to show for it.

There is no way that one person making minimum wage can survive on their own. These wages are well below the poverty line which leaves people sleeping in cars, or living with friends or family, or even on the cold streets of places like skid row in Los Angeles.

“Fifteen dollars would be great so I can catch up on my bills and take a day without worrying that if I miss a day of work I won’t be able to pay my bills on time or at all,” Frank said.

But on the other hand, some may say the wage increase may come with its own problems. If companies are forced to increase wages they may also feel forced to increase costs to ensure the profit margin does not decrease. In Seattle, employees of hotels and parking garages have already received the raise, but for some it was not all positive. Free food, free parking, 401k, paid holidays and vacations have all been compromised to keep profits steady.

According to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s website, LA’s economy is growing with 40,000 jobs added in the past year and yet too many Angelenos are being left behind and are struggling to support themselves and their families. Raising the minimum wage will lift Angelenos out of poverty. The wage will rise responsibly and gradually each year, through 2017. After that, the wage will be tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).”

Garcetti gives hope to the hardworking employees of Los Angeles for a brighter future.

“Garcetti seems to want what is best for us and our community. I am certain that the minimum wage increase will take place in a matter of time,” said Jamie Neal, 25, a full time business major at Cal State Fullerton University mother a 4-year-old daughter.

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