Chris Lillian works at Universal Studios Hollywood, but he’s a long way from the dream factory. The giant theme park lies in the San Fernando Valley mostly within unincorporated Los Angeles County, where the minimum wage is set at $16.90 per hour. Lillian makes the minimum.
Lillian, 37, will earn about $35,000 this year. Even with a rent deal that is only a fraction of what an average Angeleno pays for housing, the food stand attendant says that covering his most basic expenses each month “is a little bit of voodoo and prayer.”
