Thursday, May 7, 2026

LA County Targets Wage Theft With Proactive Enforcement Push

Board of Supervisors directs Office of Labor Equity to partner with worker centers, launch public dashboard

Workers in Los Angeles County lose an estimated $26 million to $28 million to wage theft every week, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department. The Board of Supervisors wants to start getting it back.

A motion introduced May 5 by Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and co-authored by Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis directs the county’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to expand its Office of Labor Equity into a proactive enforcement operation — one that partners with worker centers and community organizations to root out wage theft rather than waiting for individual complaints. The measure also calls for a public-facing dashboard and a focus on low-wage industries with the highest violation rates.

The motion follows the Board’s proclamation of May 1 as International Workers’ Day in Los Angeles County.

“Instead of waiting for workers who are already vulnerable to report wage theft, we’re taking a more proactive co-enforcement approach by partnering with trusted worker centers and community organizations to help with reporting,” Mitchell said in a statement released by the county. “This is about effectively using the tools and best practices at our disposal to enforce the laws that are already on the books.”

The action has direct consequences for Altadena, which as an unincorporated community falls under county jurisdiction for worker protections. The Office of Labor Equity enforces the county’s minimum wage ordinance in unincorporated areas — including Altadena, East Los Angeles, and Florence-Graham — where the hourly rate will rise from $17.81 to $18.47 on July 1. Pasadena, an incorporated city, enforces its own minimum wage ordinance separately; that rate increases from $18.04 to $18.57 on the same date.

The motion expands the Office of Labor Equity’s authority to collect fines and fees for violations of state worker protections and strengthens DCBA’s ability to recover unpaid wages and hold employers accountable through citations, according to the county press release. Enforcement partners will include the county Department of Public Health’s Office of Worker Health and Safety, the Chief Executive Office’s Countywide Communications and Chief Information Office, County Counsel’s Affirmative Litigation and Consumer Protection Division, the California Department of Industrial Relations, the Warehouse Workers Center, the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, other worker centers, labor unions, and incorporated cities within the county.

DCBA, now in its 50th year of operation, has enforced worker protections in the county since 1976. The Office of Labor Equity administers several ordinances beyond minimum wage, including the Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance and the Workplace Know Your Rights Act, the Fair Workweek Ordinance, the Public Health Retaliation Ordinance, and the Fair Chance Ordinance.

“Every worker in LA County is entitled to fair pay for their honest work,” said Rafael Carbajal, director of DCBA, in the county statement. “Through this Board’s motion, our department’s Office of Labor Equity is primed to double down on our efforts to ensure that wage theft is no longer considered business as usual in LA County.”

Solis, who co-authored the motion, said in a separate county statement marking International Workers’ Day that the county is working to ensure worker protections “are not just promised but enforced.”

“Through the work of DCBA and our Office of Labor Equity, we are strengthening protections, holding violators accountable, and advancing justice for workers across our County,” Solis said.

The co-enforcement model represents a shift in approach, according to the press release. Rather than relying solely on workers to file complaints — a step that can be difficult for immigrants, those with language barriers, or employees who fear retaliation — the county will work through organizations already embedded in vulnerable communities. Mitchell said the motion would also deliver “increased transparency with the launch of a public facing dashboard.”

Workers in unincorporated LA County, including Altadena, who believe they are not being paid correctly can contact the Office of Labor Equity at 800-593-8222, email wagehelp@dcba.lacounty.gov, or visit workers.lacounty.gov.

Pasadena workers can reach the city’s Code Compliance Division at 626-744-6831.

“LA County has a responsibility to do all we can to ensure that every worker is paid what they are owed,” Mitchell said. For workers across the county — including those clocking in every morning in Altadena — the question now is whether the expanded enforcement will reach them before the next paycheck comes up short.