Fighting for Fair Pay Senator Wahab’s SB 261 Passes the Senate

Sacramento, CA — State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab’s Senate Bill (SB) 261, Wage Theft Judgments, passed the Senate and will be heading to the Assembly. This bill will strengthen enforcement of wage theft judgments by shining a public spotlight on delinquent employers and adding triple penalties for judgments that are long overdue.

"Workers are especially vulnerable to both wage violations and cost of living increases right now," said Dr. Wahab. "When employers violate wage laws, they harm workers, families, and communities that need those dollars the most. We need to make sure that Californians are paid every penny they have earned."

Wage theft costs workers billions of dollars each year—far more than retail theft or burglaries—and it doesn’t stop there. It also harms families, local economies, and honest businesses that play by the rules, creating an unfair system where lawbreakers profit and communities lose.

The process of obtaining a wage theft judgment through the State Labor Commissioner is long and difficult for workers, taking months or years. Even winning a judgment is no guarantee of prompt payment, as it may take months before workers actually receive their owed wages, if they receive them at all. Over half of wage theft judgments go unpaid, with few consequences for law-breaking employers.

SB 261 puts a stop to this by enforcing stronger penalties on employers who ignore wage theft judgments and making it easier for workers to collect what they’re owed. It’s a powerful step toward fairness, accountability, and a more just economy for all.

“Wage theft directly harms workers and families here in Silicon Valley and across the state, preventing hard-working people from earning the wages they deserve,” said County Executive James R. Williams. “The California State Senate's successful passage of SB 261 brings us one step closer to having a critical enforcement tool in California to hold employers accountable for the unpaid wage theft claims that they owe their employees. The County is proud to sponsor SB 261 and looks forward to working with Senator Wahab as the bill progresses in the State Assembly.”

SB 261 is sponsored by the County of Santa Clara and co-sponsored by California Labor Federation and Civil Prosecutors Coalition, and must pass its Assembly policy committee by July 18, 2025.