Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a bill to strengthen protections for California’s farmworkers by modernizing a seldom-used legal remedy for recovering unpaid wages. Authored by Senator Jerry McNerney, D–Pleasanton, Senate Bill 846 updates a 1976 statute to allow liens on harvested crops when wages go unpaid, regardless of the employer’s business structure.
The measure’s supporters claimed farmworkers — vulnerable due to their immigration status, language barriers and fear of retaliation — have long been exposed to wage theft.
The lien law had applied only to farms organized as limited partnerships. SB 846 removes that restriction, expanding protections to any harvested crop or farm product, whether grown by corporations, family farms or labor contractors. The lien attaches from the first day of unpaid labor, covers up to two weeks’ wages and holds priority over mortgages and other claims.
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“California’s essential farmworkers are under an unprecedented attack by President Trump’s dangerous and illegal immigration raids,” said McNerney, in a statement thanking Newsom for his signature. “So, it’s imperative that California does all it can to protect farmworkers from workplace mistreatment — specifically, from wage theft.”
The legislation passed both chambers unanimously and with no opposition. It marks McNerney’s first bill to reach the governor’s desk since his election last year. SB 846 takes effect at the start of 2026.
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