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The San Mateo County unanimously accepted a grant of nearly $740,000, which will be used to strengthen efforts to investigate and prosecute fraudulent employers who try to defraud their workers out of paying them the wages they are entitled to.
The state grant will fund a new deputy district attorney and a supporting investigator, as well as provide additional forensic audit resources for the District Attorney's Office to investigate what are often complex cases.
The county noted that the $739,396 grant provides funding as county officials launch a new Office of Labor Standards and Compliance, which will be a partnership between the County Executive's Office, the County Attorney's Office and the District Attorney's Office.
"The Board of Supervisors' approval of the District Attorney's Wage Theft Program will allow my office to investigate and prosecute employers who rob their employees of their hard-earned wages," said District Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaff. "With a full-time prosecutor and investigator, justice for employee victims is now possible."
The office, once established, will also work with employers to inform them of their rights and the rights of workers.
“We are very grateful to District Attorney Wagstaffe, Deputy District Attorney Jill Nerone and the District Attorney’s Office for prioritizing the investigation and prosecution of these cases, providing justice for victims of wage theft and ultimately deterring others from abusing vulnerable workers in this manner,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller, who along with Supervisor Dave Pine presented the proposal to create the office to the full Board.
Local officials say there is a pressing need to devote more resources to preventing and investigating wage theft.
According to experts, low-wage earners, women, people of color, non-English speaking workers, and the foreign-born are at particular risk of wage theft.
Examples of wage theft include unpaid wages, receiving less than minimum wage, failure to accrue sick leave or overtime pay, and unauthorized payroll deductions, among others.
Last year, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement with the mission of helping victims of wage theft recover stolen wages.
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