California judge rejects Schwarzenegger minimum wage request

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette denied the administration's request for a temporary restraining order that would have forced the controller to pay the federal minimum wage immediately to about 200,000 state workers.

He ruled that it would cause too much harm to employees.

Deputy Controller Hallye Jordan said the decision means state workers will continue to receive their full wages in July and August.

"We were very pleased that the judge took into consideration our arguments and the impact it would have on hundreds of thousands of state employees who have worked for their checks and expect the full amount," Jordan said after the ruling.

The judge did say he will allow the administration's lawsuit to proceed so the courts can sort out whether the controller must pay minimum wage in the future. The next hearing will be July 26.

A spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger's Department of Personnel Administration said the administration is confident it will ultimately prevail in the courts.