SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed into law a significant increase in family-leave benefits for Californians, marking the latest in a series of legislative actions aimed at boosting the fortunes of lower-income workers.

Brown, who just last week signed a bill that will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2022, said the family-leave expansion would help ordinary Californians as they grapple with new children and family health issues that take them away from work.

The action comes 15 years after California became the first state to guarantee workers paid time off to care for a new child or ailing family member.

The new law will allow people earning close to minimum wage to be paid 70 percent of their salary while on leave, while workers with higher pay, up to $108,000 annually, will receive 60 percent of their salary during leave.