In a pivotal move for farm labor rights, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 846 into law, assuring stronger protections against wage theft for California's farmworkers. Sen. McNerney (D-Pleasanton), who introduced the bill, emphasized the necessity of upholding the rights of these essential workers, particularly in the face of "unprecedented attack by President Trump’s dangerous and illegal immigration raids," the senator said, expressing his commitment to shield this workforce from exploitation and helping them recover unpaid wages, according to a statement from Senator Jerry McNerney's office.
The signing of SB 846, which received unanimous support in both the Senate and Assembly, comes as a beacon of legislative solidarity with nearly 800,000 seasonal and migrant farmworkers who toil to cultivate California's extensive range of agricultural products. Yet despite their critical contribution to the state’s economy, these workers have historically faced susceptibility to unfair wage practices, a problem this law seeks to rectify. While it was met with broad approval, the language of the original 1976 statute had grown dated, and its effectiveness in curtailing wage theft waned, necessitating an updated, stronger framework to hold agricultural employers accountable.
The new legislation, detailed in the Legislative Counsel's Digest, addresses this by refining existing laws to grant farmworkers liens on crops or farm products if they have not been compensated for their work, regardless of whether a limited partnership owns these goods or not. Thus, the protection is broadened, and the hardworking hands tending to California's agricultural bounty receive their earned wages.
Effective January 1, 2026, the law recognizes farm labor as a preferred lien, having priority over other claims and assuring the value of the workers' toil is respected.
