Article 1. General Occupations of California Labor Code >> Division 2. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.

As used in this article: (a) "Wages" includes all amounts for labor performed by employees of every description, whether the amount is fixed or ascertained by the standard of time, task, piece, commission basis, or other method of calculation.
  (b) "Labor" includes labor, work, or service whether rendered or performed under contract, subcontract, partnership, station plan, or other agreement if the labor to be paid for is performed personally by the person demanding payment.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code or Section 340 of the Code of Civil Procedure, to collect a civil penalty, fee, or penalty fee under this division, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement shall commence an action within three years from the date the penalty or fee became final. Upon commencement of an action, the clerk of the superior court shall enter judgment immediately in conformity therewith.
  (b) This section applies only to penalty assessments or fees that became final on or after the effective date of the act adding this section.
  (c) For purposes of this section, "commence an action" means to file a request for entry of judgment on a civil penalty or fee with the clerk of the superior court of the relevant county.
  (d) For purposes of this section, "final" means the time to appeal has expired and there is no appeal pending.

(a) If an employer discharges an employee, the wages earned and unpaid at the time of discharge are due and payable immediately. An employer who lays off a group of employees by reason of the termination of seasonal employment in the curing, canning, or drying of any variety of perishable fruit, fish or vegetables, shall be deemed to have made immediate payment when the wages of said employees are paid within a reasonable time as necessary for computation and payment thereof; provided, however, that the reasonable time shall not exceed 72 hours, and further provided that payment shall be made by mail to any employee who so requests and designates a mailing address therefor.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the state employer shall be deemed to have made an immediate payment of wages under this section for any unused or accumulated vacation, annual leave, holiday leave, or time off to which the employee is entitled by reason of previous overtime work where compensating time off was given by the appointing power, provided, at least five workdays prior to his or her final day of employment, the employee submits a written election to his or her appointing power authorizing the state employer to tender payment for any or all leave to be contributed on a pretax basis to the employee's account in a state-sponsored supplemental retirement plan as described under Sections 401(k), 403 (b), or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code provided the plan allows those contributions. The contribution shall be tendered for payment to the employee's 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan account no later than 45 days after the employee's discharge from employment. Nothing in this section is intended to authorize contributions in excess of the annual deferral limits imposed under federal and state law or the provisions of the supplemental retirement plan itself.
  (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when the state employer discharges an employee, the employee may, at least five workdays prior to his or her final day of employment, submit a written election to his or her appointing power authorizing the state employer to defer into the next calendar year payment of any or all of the employee's unused or accumulated vacation, annual leave, holiday leave, or time off to which the employee is entitled by reason of previous overtime work where compensating time off was given by the appointing power. To qualify for the deferral of payment under this section, only that portion of leave that extends past the November pay period for state employees shall be deferred into the next calendar year. An employee electing to defer payment into the next calendar year under this section may do any of the following:
  (1) Contribute the entire payment to his or her 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan account.
  (2) Contribute any portion of the deferred payment to his or her 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan account and receive cash payment for the remaining noncontributed unused leave.
  (3) Receive a lump-sum payment for all of the deferred unused leave as described above. Payments shall be tendered under this section no later than February 1 in the year following the employee's last day of employment. Nothing in this section is intended to authorize contributions in excess of the annual deferral limits imposed under federal and state law or the provisions of the supplemental retirement plan itself.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
  (1) "Temporary services employer" means an employing unit that contracts with clients or customers to supply workers to perform services for the clients or customers and that performs all of the following functions:
  (A) Negotiates with clients and customers for matters such as the time and place where the services are to be provided, the type of work, the working conditions, and the quality and price of the services.
  (B) Determines assignments or reassignments of workers, even if workers retain the right to refuse specific assignments.
  (C) Retains the authority to assign or reassign a worker to another client or customer when the worker is determined unacceptable by a specific client or customer.
  (D) Assigns or reassigns workers to perform services for clients or customers.
  (E) Sets the rate of pay of workers, whether or not through negotiation.
  (F) Pays workers from its own account or accounts.
  (G) Retains the right to hire and terminate workers.
  (2) "Temporary services employer" does not include any of the following:
  (A) A bona fide nonprofit organization that provides temporary service employees to clients.
  (B) A farm labor contractor, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1682.
  (C) A garment manufacturing employer, which, for purposes of this section, has the same meaning as "contractor," as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 2671.
  (3) "Employing unit" has the same meaning as defined in Section 135 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.
  (4) "Client" and "customer" means the person with whom a temporary services employer has a contractual relationship to provide the services of one or more individuals employed by the temporary services employer.
  (b) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) to (5), inclusive, if an employee of a temporary services employer is assigned to work for a client, that employee's wages are due and payable no less frequently than weekly, regardless of when the assignment ends, and wages for work performed during any calendar week shall be due and payable not later than the regular payday of the following calendar week. A temporary services employer shall be deemed to have timely paid wages upon completion of an assignment if wages are paid in compliance with this subdivision.
  (2) If an employee of a temporary services employer is assigned to work for a client on a day-to-day basis, that employee's wages are due and payable at the end of each day, regardless of when the assignment ends, if each of the following occurs:
  (A) The employee reports to or assembles at the office of the temporary services employer or other location.
  (B) The employee is dispatched to a client's worksite each day and returns to or reports to the office of the temporary services employer or other location upon completion of the assignment.
  (C) The employee's work is not executive, administrative, or professional, as defined in the wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission, and is not clerical.
  (3) If an employee of a temporary services employer is assigned to work for a client engaged in a trade dispute, that employee's wages are due and payable at the end of each day, regardless of when the assignment ends.
  (4) If an employee of a temporary services employer is assigned to work for a client and is discharged by the temporary services employer or leasing employer, wages are due and payable as provided in Section 201.
  (5) If an employee of a temporary services employer is assigned to work for a client and quits his or her employment with the temporary services employer, wages are due and payable as provided in Section 202.
  (6) If an employee of a temporary services employer is assigned to work for a client for over 90 consecutive calendar days, this section shall not apply unless the temporary services employer pays the employee weekly in compliance with paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).
  (c) A temporary services employer who violates this section shall be subject to the civil penalties provided for in Section 203, and to any other penalties available at law.
  (d) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to limit any rights or remedies otherwise available under state or federal law.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
  (1) "An employee engaged in the production or broadcasting of motion pictures" means an employee to whom both of the following apply:
  (A) The employee's job duties relate to or support the production or broadcasting of motion pictures or the facilities or equipment used in the production or broadcasting of motion pictures.
  (B) The employee is hired for a period of limited duration to render services relating to or supporting a particular motion picture production or broadcasting project, or is hired on the basis of one or more daily or weekly calls.
  (2) "Daily or weekly call" means an employment that, by its terms, will expire at the conclusion of one day or one week, unless renewed.
  (3) "Next regular payday" means the day designated by the employer, pursuant to Section 204, for payment of wages earned during the payroll period in which the termination occurs.
  (4) "Production or broadcasting of motion pictures" means the development, creation, presentation, or broadcasting of theatrical or televised motion pictures, television programs, commercial advertisements, music videos, or any other moving images, including, but not limited to, productions made for entertainment, commercial, religious, or educational purposes, whether these productions are presented by means of film, tape, live broadcast, cable, satellite transmission, Web cast, or any other technology that is now in use or may be adopted in the future.
  (b) An employee engaged in the production or broadcasting of motion pictures whose employment terminates is entitled to receive payment of the wages earned and unpaid at the time of the termination by the next regular payday.
  (c) The payment of wages to employees covered by this section may be mailed to the employee or made available to the employee at a location specified by the employer in the county where the employee was hired or performed labor. The payment shall be deemed to have been made on the date that the employee's wages are mailed to the employee or made available to the employee at the location specified by the employer, whichever is earlier.
  (d) For purposes of this section, an employment terminates when the employment relationship ends, whether by discharge, lay off, resignation, completion of employment for a specified term, or otherwise.
  (e) Nothing in this section prohibits the parties to a valid collective bargaining agreement from establishing alternative provisions for final payment of wages to employees covered by this section if those provisions do not exceed the time limitation established in Section 204.

An employer who lays off an employee or a group of employees engaged in the business of oil drilling shall be deemed to have made immediate payment within the meaning of Section 201 if the wages of such employees are paid within such reasonable time as may be necessary for computation or payment thereof; provided, however, that such reasonable time shall not exceed 24 hours after discharge excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays; and provided further, such payment may be mailed and the date of mailing is the date of payment. The Legislature finds and determines that special provision must be made for the payment of wages on discharge of employees engaged in oil drilling because their employment at various locations is often far removed from the employer's principal administrative offices, which makes the computation and payment of wages on an immediate basis unduly burdensome.

Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 201, if employees are employed at a venue that hosts live theatrical or concert events and are enrolled in and routinely dispatched to employment through a hiring hall or other system of regular short-term employment established in accordance with a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, these employees and their employers may establish by express terms in their collective bargaining agreement the time limits for payment of wages to an employee who is discharged or laid off.

(a) If an employee not having a written contract for a definite period quits his or her employment, his or her wages shall become due and payable not later than 72 hours thereafter, unless the employee has given 72 hours previous notice of his or her intention to quit, in which case the employee is entitled to his or her wages at the time of quitting. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an employee who quits without providing a 72-hour notice shall be entitled to receive payment by mail if he or she so requests and designates a mailing address. The date of the mailing shall constitute the date of payment for purposes of the requirement to provide payment within 72 hours of the notice of quitting.
  (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the state employer shall be deemed to have made an immediate payment of wages under this section for any unused or accumulated vacation, annual leave, holiday leave, sick leave to which the employee is otherwise entitled due to a disability retirement, or time off to which the employee is entitled by reason of previous overtime work where compensating time off was given by the appointing power, provided at least five workdays prior to his or her final day of employment, the employee submits a written election to his or her appointing power authorizing the state employer to tender payment for any or all leave to be contributed on a pretax basis to the employee's account in a state-sponsored supplemental retirement plan as described under Sections 401(k), 403(b), or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code provided the plan allows those contributions. The contribution shall be tendered for payment to the employee's 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan account no later than 45 days after the employee's last day of employment. Nothing in this section is intended to authorize contributions in excess of the annual deferral limits imposed under federal and state law or the provisions of the supplemental retirement plan itself.
  (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when a state employee quits, retires, or disability retires from his or her employment with the state, the employee may, at least five workdays prior to his or her final day of employment, submit a written election to his or her appointing power authorizing the state employer to defer into the next calendar year payment of any or all of the employee's unused or accumulated vacation, annual leave, holiday leave, sick leave to which the employee is otherwise entitled due to a disability, retirement, or time off to which the employee is entitled by reason of previous overtime work where compensating time off was given by the appointing power. To qualify for the deferral of payment under this section, only that portion of leave that extends past the November pay period for state employees shall be deferred into the next calendar year under this section may do any of the following:
  (1) Contribute the entire payment to his or her 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan account.
  (2) Contribute any portion of the deferred payment to his or her 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plan account and receive cash payment for the remaining noncontributed unused leave.
  (3) Receive a lump-sum payment for all of the deferred unused leave as described above. Payments shall be tendered under this section no later than February 1 in the year following the employee's last day of employment. Nothing in this section is intended to authorize contributions in excess of the annual deferral limits imposed under federal and state law or the provisions of the supplemental retirement plan itself.

(a) If an employer willfully fails to pay, without abatement or reduction, in accordance with Sections 201, 201.3, 201.5, 201.9, 202, and 205.5, any wages of an employee who is discharged or who quits, the wages of the employee shall continue as a penalty from the due date thereof at the same rate until paid or until an action therefor is commenced; but the wages shall not continue for more than 30 days. An employee who secretes or absents himself or herself to avoid payment to him or her, or who refuses to receive the payment when fully tendered to him or her, including any penalty then accrued under this section, is not entitled to any benefit under this section for the time during which he or she so avoids payment.
  (b) Suit may be filed for these penalties at any time before the expiration of the statute of limitations on an action for the wages from which the penalties arise.

If an employer pays an employee in the regular course of employment or in accordance with Section 201, 201.3, 201.5, 201.7, or 202 any wages or fringe benefits, or both, by check, draft or voucher, which check, draft or voucher is subsequently refused payment because the employer or maker has no account with the bank, institution, or person on which the instrument is drawn, or has insufficient funds in the account upon which the instrument is drawn at the time of its presentation, so long as the same is presented within 30 days of receipt by the employee of the check, draft or voucher, those wages or fringe benefits, or both, shall continue as a penalty from the due date thereof at the same rate until paid or until an action therefor is commenced. However, those wages and fringe benefits shall not continue for more than 30 days and this penalty shall not apply if the employer can establish to the satisfaction of the Labor Commissioner or an appropriate court of law that the violation of this section was unintentional. This penalty also shall not apply in any case in which an employee recovers the service charge authorized by Section 1719 of the Civil Code in an action brought by the employee thereunder.

(a) If a bonding company issuing a bond which secures the payment of wages for labor or the surety on a bond willfully fails to pay, without abatement or reduction, any verified claim made for wages found to be due and payable, the claim for wages shall continue as a penalty against the bonding company or surety from the date on which demand for payment was made at the same rate until paid as the wages upon which the claim is based, except that the claim shall not continue as a penalty for more than 30 days.
  (b) This section shall not apply to contractor's bonds required pursuant to Section 7071.6 of the Business and Professions Code.

(a) All wages, other than those mentioned in Section 201, 201.3, 202, 204.1, or 204.2, earned by any person in any employment are due and payable twice during each calendar month, on days designated in advance by the employer as the regular paydays. Labor performed between the 1st and 15th days, inclusive, of any calendar month shall be paid for between the 16th and the 26th day of the month during which the labor was performed, and labor performed between the 16th and the last day, inclusive, of any calendar month, shall be paid for between the 1st and 10th day of the following month. However, salaries of executive, administrative, and professional employees of employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as set forth pursuant to Section 13(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended through March 1, 1969, in Part 541 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as that part now reads or may be amended to read at any time hereafter, may be paid once a month on or before the 26th day of the month during which the labor was performed if the entire month's salaries, including the unearned portion between the date of payment and the last day of the month, are paid at that time.
  (b) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, all wages earned for labor in excess of the normal work period shall be paid no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period.
  (2) An employer is in compliance with the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 226 relating to total hours worked by the employee, if hours worked in excess of the normal work period during the current pay period are itemized as corrections on the paystub for the next regular pay period. Any corrections set out in a subsequently issued paystub shall state the inclusive dates of the pay period for which the employer is correcting its initial report of hours worked.
  (c) However, when employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides different pay arrangements, those arrangements shall apply to the covered employees.
  (d) The requirements of this section shall be deemed satisfied by the payment of wages for weekly, biweekly, or semimonthly payroll if the wages are paid not more than seven calendar days following the close of the payroll period.

204a. When workers are engaged in an employment that normally involves working for several employers in the same industry interchangeably, and the several employers, or some of them, cooperate to establish a plan for the payment of wages at a central place or places and in accordance with a unified schedule of pay days, all the provisions of this chapter except 201, 202, and 208 shall apply. All such workers, including those who have been discharged and those who quit, shall receive their wages at such central place or places. This section shall not apply to any such plan until 10 days after notice of their intention to set up such a plan shall have been given to the Labor Commissioner by the employers who cooperate to establish the plan. Having once been established, no such plan can be abandoned except after notice of their intention to abandon such plan has been given to the Labor Commissioner by the employers intending to abandon the plan.

204b. Section 204 shall be inapplicable to employees paid on a weekly basis on a regular day designated by the employer in advance of the rendition of services as the regular payday. Labor performed by a weekly-paid employee during any calendar week and prior to or on the regular payday shall be paid for not later than the regular payday of the employer for such weekly-paid employee falling during the following calendar week. Labor performed by a weekly-paid employee during any calendar week and subsequent to the regular payday shall be paid for not later than seven days after the regular payday of the employer for such weekly-paid employee falling during the following calendar week.

204c. Section 204 shall be inapplicable to executive, administrative or professional employees who are not covered by any collective bargaining agreement, who are not subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, whose monthly remuneration does not include overtime pay, and who are paid within seven days of the close of their monthly payroll period.

Commission wages paid to any person employed by an employer licensed as a vehicle dealer by the Department of Motor Vehicles are due and payable once during each calendar month on a day designated in advance by the employer as the regular payday. Commission wages are compensation paid to any person for services rendered in the sale of such employer's property or services and based proportionately upon the amount or value thereof. The provisions of this section shall not apply if there exists a collective bargaining agreement between the employer and his employees which provides for the date on which wages shall be paid.

Salaries of executive, administrative, and professional employees of employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as set forth pursuant to Section 13(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended through March 1, 1969, (Title 29, Section 213 (a)(1), United States Code) in Part 541 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as that part now reads, earned for labor performed in excess of 40 hours in a calendar week are due and payable on or before the 26th day of the calendar month immediately following the month in which such labor was performed. However, when such employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides different pay arrangements, those arrangements will apply to the covered employees.

(a) An employee may receive, in lieu of overtime compensation, compensating time off at a rate of not less than one and one-half hours for each hour of employment for which overtime compensation is required by law. If an hour of employment would otherwise be compensable at a rate of more than one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of compensation, then the employee may receive compensating time off commensurate with the higher rate.
  (b) An employer may provide compensating time off under subdivision (a) if the following four conditions are met:
  (1) The compensating time off is provided pursuant to applicable provisions of a collective bargaining agreement, memorandum of understanding, or other written agreement between the employer and the duly authorized representative of the employer's employees; or, in the case of employees not covered by the aforementioned agreement or memorandum of understanding, pursuant to a written agreement entered into between the employer and employee before the performance of the work.
  (2) The employee has not accrued compensating time in excess of the limit prescribed by subdivision (c).
  (3) The employee has requested, in writing, compensating time off in lieu of overtime compensation.
  (4) The employee is regularly scheduled to work no less than 40 hours in a workweek.
  (c) (1) An employee may not accrue more than 240 hours of compensating time off. Any employee who has accrued 240 hours of compensating time off shall, for any additional overtime hours of work, be paid overtime compensation.
  (2) If compensation is paid to an employee for accrued compensating time off, the compensation shall be paid at the regular rate earned by the employee at the time the employee receives payment.
  (d) An employee who has accrued compensating time off authorized to be provided under subdivision (a) shall, upon termination of employment, be paid for the unused compensating time at a rate of compensation not less than the average regular rate received by the employee during the last three years of the employee's employment, or the final regular rate received by the employee, whichever is higher.
  (e) (1) An employee who has accrued compensating time off authorized to be provided under subdivision (a), and who has requested the use of that compensating time, shall be permitted by the employee's employer to use the time within a reasonable period after making the request, if the use of the compensating time does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.
  (2) Upon the request of an employee, the employer shall pay overtime compensation in cash in lieu of compensating time off for any compensating time off that has accrued for at least two pay periods.
  (3) For purposes of determining whether a request to use compensating time has been granted within a reasonable period, the following factors shall be relevant:
  (A) The normal schedule of work.
  (B) Anticipated peak workloads based on past experience.
  (C) Emergency requirements for staff and services.
  (D) The availability of qualified substitute staff.
  (f) Every employer shall keep records that accurately reflect compensating time earned and used.
  (g) For purposes of this section, the terms "compensating time" and "compensating time off" mean hours during which an employee is not working, which are not counted as hours worked during the applicable workweek or other work period for purposes of overtime compensation, and for which the employee is compensated at the employee's regular rate.
  (h) This section shall not apply to any employee exempt from the overtime provisions of the California wage orders.
  (i) This section shall not apply to any employee who is subject to the following wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission: Orders No. 8-80, 13-80, and 14-80 (affecting industries handling products after harvest, industries preparing agricultural products for market on the farm, and agricultural occupations), Order No. 3-80 (affecting the canning, freezing, and preserving industry), Orders No. 5-89 and 10-89 (affecting the public housekeeping and amusement and recreation industries), and Order No. 1-89 (affecting the manufacturing industry).

In agricultural, viticultural, and horticultural pursuits, in stock or poultry raising, and in household domestic service, when the employees in such employments are boarded and lodged by the employer, the wages due any employee remaining in such employment shall become due and payable once in each calendar month on a day designated in advance by the employer as the regular payday. No two successive paydays shall be more than 31 days apart, and the payment shall include all wages up to the regular payday. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, wages of workers employed by a farm labor contractor shall be paid on payroll periods at least once every week on a business day designated in advance by the farm labor contractor. Payment on such payday shall include all wages earned up to and including the fourth day before such payday.

All wages, other than those mentioned in Sections 201 and 202, earned by any agricultural employee, as defined in Section 1140.4, are due and payable twice during each calendar month, on days designated in advance by the agricultural employer as the regular paydays. Labor performed between the 1st and the 15th days, inclusive, of any calendar month shall be paid between the 16th and the 22nd day of the month during which the labor was performed. Labor performed between the 16th and the last day, inclusive, of any calendar month shall be paid between the first and the seventh day of the following month. Agricultural employees, as used in this section, shall not include those employees who are covered by Section 205.

(a) In case of a dispute over wages, the employer shall pay, without condition and within the time set by this article, all wages, or parts thereof, conceded by him to be due, leaving to the employee all remedies he might otherwise be entitled to as to any balance claimed.
  (b) If, after an investigation and hearing, the Labor Commissioner has determined the validity of any employee's claim for wages, the claim is due and payable within 10 days after receipt of notice by the employer that such wages are due. Any employer having the ability to pay who willfully fails to pay such wages within 10 days shall, in addition to any other applicable penalty, pay treble the amount of any damages accruing to the employee as a direct and foreseeable consequence of such failure to pay.

(a) An employer shall not require the execution of a release of a claim or right on account of wages due, or to become due, or made as an advance on wages to be earned, unless payment of those wages has been made. A release required or executed in violation of the provisions of this section shall be null and void as between the employer and the employee. Violation of this section by the employer is a misdemeanor.
  (b) For purposes of this section, "execution of a release" includes requiring an employee, as a condition of being paid, to execute a statement of the hours he or she worked during a pay period which the employer knows to be false.

Every employer shall keep posted conspicuously at the place of work, if practicable, or otherwise where it can be seen as employees come or go to their places of work, or at the office or nearest agency for payment kept by the employer, a notice specifying the regular pay days and the time and place of payment, in accordance with this article.

Every employee who is discharged shall be paid at the place of discharge, and every employee who quits shall be paid at the office or agency of the employer in the county where the employee has been performing labor. All payments shall be made in the manner provided by law.

In the event of any strike, the unpaid wages earned by striking employees shall become due and payable on the next regular pay day, and the payment or settlement thereof shall include all amounts due the striking employees without abatement or reduction. The employer shall return to each striking employee any deposit, money, or other guaranty required by him from the employee for the faithful performance of the duties of the employment.

(a) In addition to, and entirely independent and apart from, any other penalty provided in this article, every person who fails to pay the wages of each employee as provided in Sections 201.3, 204, 204b, 204.1, 204.2, 205, 205.5, and 1197.5, shall be subject to a civil penalty as follows:
  (1) For any initial violation, one hundred dollars ($100) for each failure to pay each employee.
  (2) For each subsequent violation, or any willful or intentional violation, two hundred dollars ($200) for each failure to pay each employee, plus 25 percent of the amount unlawfully withheld.
  (b) The penalty shall be recovered by the Labor Commissioner as part of a hearing held to recover unpaid wages and penalties pursuant to this chapter or in an independent civil action. The action shall be brought in the name of the people of the State of California and the Labor Commissioner and the attorneys thereof may proceed and act for and on behalf of the people in bringing these actions. Twelve and one-half percent of the penalty recovered shall be paid into a fund within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency dedicated to educating employers about state labor laws, and the remainder shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund.

When action to recover such penalties is brought, no court costs shall be payable by the state or the division. Any sheriff or marshal who serves the summons in the action upon any defendant within his or her jurisdiction shall do so without cost to the division. The sheriff or marshal shall specify in the return what costs he or she would ordinarily have been entitled to for such service, and those costs and the other regular court costs that would have accrued were the action not on behalf of the state shall be made a part of any judgment recovered by the plaintiff and shall be paid out of the first money recovered on the judgment. Several causes of action for the penalties may be united in the same action without being separately stated. A demand is a prerequisite to the bringing of any action under this section or Section 210. The division on behalf of the state may accept and receipt for any penalties so paid, with or without suit.

(a) No person, or agent or officer thereof, shall issue in payment of wages due, or to become due, or as an advance on wages to be earned:
  (1) Any order, check, draft, note, memorandum, or other acknowledgment of indebtedness, unless it is negotiable and payable in cash, on demand, without discount, at some established place of business in the state, the name and address of which must appear on the instrument, and at the time of its issuance and for a reasonable time thereafter, which must be at least 30 days, the maker or drawer has sufficient funds in, or credit, arrangement, or understanding with the drawee for its payment.
  (2) Any scrip, coupon, cards, or other thing redeemable, in merchandise or purporting to be payable or redeemable otherwise than in money.
  (b) Where an instrument mentioned in subdivision (a) is protested or dishonored, the notice or memorandum of protest or dishonor is admissible as proof of presentation, nonpayment and protest and is presumptive evidence of knowledge of insufficiency of funds or credit with the drawee.
  (c) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), if the drawee is a bank, the bank's address need not appear on the instrument and, in that case, the instrument shall be negotiable and payable in cash, on demand, without discount, at any place of business of the drawee chosen by the person entitled to enforce the instrument.

Nothing contained in Section 212 shall:
  (a) Prohibit an employer from guaranteeing the payment of bills incurred by an employee for the necessaries of life or for the tools and implements used by the employee in the performance of his or her duties.
  (b) Apply to counties, municipal corporations, quasi-municipal corporations, or school districts.
  (c) Apply to students of nonprofit schools, colleges, universities, and other nonprofit educational institutions.
  (d) Prohibit an employer from depositing wages due or to become due or an advance on wages to be earned in an account in any bank, savings and loan association, or credit union of the employee's choice with a place of business located in this state, provided that the employee has voluntarily authorized that deposit. If an employer discharges an employee or the employee quits, the employer may pay the wages earned and unpaid at the time the employee is discharged or quits by making a deposit authorized pursuant to this subdivision, provided that the employer complies with the provisions of this article relating to the payment of wages upon termination or quitting of employment.

Prosecution under section 212 may be brought either at the place where the alleged illegal order, check, draft, note, memorandum or other acknowledgment of wage indebtedness is issued or at the place where it is made payable.

Any person, or the agent, manager, superintendent or officer thereof, who violates any provision of Section 201.3, 204, 204b, 205, 207, 208, 209, or 212 is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any failure to keep posted any notice required by Section 207 is prima facie evidence of a violation of these sections.

In addition to any other penalty imposed by this article, any person, or an agent, manager, superintendent, or officer thereof is guilty of a misdemeanor, who:
  (a) Having the ability to pay, willfully refuses to pay wages due and payable after demand has been made.
  (b) Falsely denies the amount or validity thereof, or that the same is due, with intent to secure for himself, his employer or other person, any discount upon such indebtedness, or with intent to annoy, harass, oppress, hinder, delay, or defraud, the person to whom such indebtedness is due.

The Division of Labor Law Enforcement shall inquire diligently for any violations of this article, and, in cases which it deems proper, shall institute the actions for the penalties provided for in this article and shall enforce this article.

Nothing in this article shall limit the authority of the district attorney of any county or prosecuting attorney of any city to prosecute actions, either civil or criminal, for violations of this article or to enforce the provisions thereof independently and without specific direction of the division. Nothing in this article shall limit the right of any wage claimant to sue directly or through an assignee for any wages or penalty due him under this article.

(a) In any action brought for the nonpayment of wages, fringe benefits, or health and welfare or pension fund contributions, the court shall award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the prevailing party if any party to the action requests attorney's fees and costs upon the initiation of the action. However, if the prevailing party in the court action is not an employee, attorney's fees and costs shall be awarded pursuant to this section only if the court finds that the employee brought the court action in bad faith. This section shall not apply to an action brought by the Labor Commissioner. This section shall not apply to a surety issuing a bond pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 7000) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code or to an action to enforce a mechanics lien brought under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 8400) of Title 2 of Part 6 of Division 4 of the Civil Code.
  (b) This section does not apply to any cause of action for which attorney's fees are recoverable under Section 1194.

In any action brought for the nonpayment of wages, the court shall award interest on all due and unpaid wages at the rate of interest specified in subdivision (b) of Section 3289 of the Civil Code, which shall accrue from the date that the wages were due and payable as provided in Part 1 (commencing with Section 200) of Division 2.

(a) Nothing in this article shall in any way limit or prohibit the payment of wages at more frequent intervals, or in greater amounts, or in full when or before due, but no provision of this article can in any way be contravened or set aside by a private agreement, whether written, oral, or implied.
  (b) The state employer does not violate this section by authorizing employees who quit, or are discharged from, their employment with the state to take payment for any unused or accumulated vacation, annual leave, holiday leave, sick leave to which the employee is otherwise entitled due to a disability retirement, or time off to which the employee is entitled by reason of previous overtime work where compensating time off was given by the appointing power, as provided in Section 201 or 202.

(a) Sections 201.3, 201.5, 201.7, 203.1, 203.5, 204, 204a, 204b, 204c, 204.1, 205, and 205.5 do not apply to the payment of wages of employees directly employed by the State of California. Except as provided in subdivision (b), all other employment is subject to these provisions.
  (b) Sections 200 to 211, inclusive, and Sections 215 to 219, inclusive, do not apply to the payment of wages of employees directly employed by any county, incorporated city, or town or other municipal corporation. All other employments are subject to these provisions.

Contributions to vacation allowances, pension or retirement funds, sick leave, and health and welfare benefits on behalf of persons employed by any county, political subdivision, incorporated city or town or other municipal corporations may be made in the same manner and on the same basis as made by private employers. Payments made by the employing agency to any such fund on behalf of any employee shall be in lieu of benefits such as vacation allowance, pension or retirement fund, sick leave, and health and welfare benefits which are now or may hereafter be granted directly by the employing agency in accordance with law. This section shall only apply to nonpermanent laborers, workmen, and mechanics employed on an hourly or per diem basis. The employing agency is empowered to determine the equitable application of this section to insure that the employees receive benefits comparable to, but not in excess of those provided in comparable private employment. The employing agency shall make payments only to plans which meet the following standards: 1. A plan office is located within the State of California. 2. Any fund connected with the plan is required to be audited at least annually by an independent, licensed certified public accountant. 3. Each trustee or administrator of the fund or plan authorized to receive, handle, deal with or draw upon the assets of the fund or plan is required to be bonded.

It shall be unlawful for any employer to collect or receive from an employee any part of wages theretofore paid by said employer to said employee.

It shall be unlawful, in case of any wage agreement arrived at through collective bargaining, either wilfully or unlawfully or with intent to defraud an employee, a competitor, or any other person, to withhold from said employee any part of the wage agreed upon.

No person shall withhold or deduct from the compensation of any employee, or require any prospective employee or applicant for employment to pay, any fee for, or cost of, any pre-employment medical or physical examination taken as a condition of employment, nor shall any person withhold or deduct from the compensation of any employee, or require any employee to pay any fee for, or costs of, medical or physical examinations required by any law or regulation of federal, state or local governments or agencies thereof.

Where any statute or contract requires an employer to maintain the designated wage scale, it shall be unlawful to secretly pay a lower wage while purporting to pay the wage designated by statute or by contract.

The provisions of Sections 221, 222 and 223 shall in no way make it unlawful for an employer to withhold or divert any portion of an employee's wages when the employer is required or empowered so to do by state or federal law or when a deduction is expressly authorized in writing by the employee to cover insurance premiums, hospital or medical dues, or other deductions not amounting to a rebate or deduction from the standard wage arrived at by collective bargaining or pursuant to wage agreement or statute, or when a deduction to cover health and welfare or pension plan contributions is expressly authorized by a collective bargaining or wage agreement. Nothing in this section or any other provision of law shall be construed as authorizing an employer to withhold or divert any portion of an employee's wages to pay any tax, fee or charge prohibited by Section 50026 of the Government Code, whether or not the employee authorizes such withholding or diversion.

The violation of any provision of Sections 221, 222, 222.5, or 223 is a misdemeanor.

In addition to, and entirely independent and apart from, any other penalty provided in this article, every person who unlawfully withholds wages due any employee in violation of Section 212, 216, 221, 222, or 223 shall be subject to a civil penalty as follows:
  (a) For any initial violation, one hundred dollars ($100) for each failure to pay each employee.
  (b) For each subsequent violation, or any willful or intentional violation, two hundred dollars ($200) for each failure to pay each employee, plus 25 percent of the amount unlawfully withheld. The penalty shall be recovered by the Labor Commissioner as part of a hearing held to recover unpaid wages and penalties or in an independent civil action. The action shall be brought in the name of the people of the State of California and the Labor Commissioner and attorneys thereof may proceed and act for and on behalf of the people in bringing the action. Twelve and one-half percent of the penalty recovered shall be paid into a fund within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency dedicated to educating employers about state labor laws, and the remainder shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Fund.

(a) Every employer shall, semimonthly or at the time of each payment of wages, furnish each of his or her employees, either as a detachable part of the check, draft, or voucher paying the employee's wages, or separately when wages are paid by personal check or cash, an accurate itemized statement in writing showing (1) gross wages earned, (2) total hours worked by the employee, except for any employee whose compensation is solely based on a salary and who is exempt from payment of overtime under subdivision (a) of Section 515 or any applicable order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, (3) the number of piece-rate units earned and any applicable piece rate if the employee is paid on a piece-rate basis, (4) all deductions, provided that all deductions made on written orders of the employee may be aggregated and shown as one item, (5) net wages earned, (6) the inclusive dates of the period for which the employee is paid, (7) the name of the employee and only the last four digits of his or her social security number or an employee identification number other than a social security number, (8) the name and address of the legal entity that is the employer and, if the employer is a farm labor contractor, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1682, the name and address of the legal entity that secured the services of the employer, and (9) all applicable hourly rates in effect during the pay period and the corresponding number of hours worked at each hourly rate by the employee and, beginning July 1, 2013, if the employer is a temporary services employer as defined in Section 201.3, the rate of pay and the total hours worked for each temporary services assignment. The deductions made from payment of wages shall be recorded in ink or other indelible form, properly dated, showing the month, day, and year, and a copy of the statement and the record of the deductions shall be kept on file by the employer for at least three years at the place of employment or at a central location within the State of California. For purposes of this subdivision, "copy" includes a duplicate of the itemized statement provided to an employee or a computer-generated record that accurately shows all of the information required by this subdivision.
  (b) An employer that is required by this code or any regulation adopted pursuant to this code to keep the information required by subdivision (a) shall afford current and former employees the right to inspect or copy records pertaining to their employment, upon reasonable request to the employer. The employer may take reasonable steps to ensure the identity of a current or former employee. If the employer provides copies of the records, the actual cost of reproduction may be charged to the current or former employee.
  (c) An employer who receives a written or oral request to inspect or copy records pursuant to subdivision (b) pertaining to a current or former employee shall comply with the request as soon as practicable, but no later than 21 calendar days from the date of the request. A violation of this subdivision is an infraction. Impossibility of performance, not caused by or a result of a violation of law, shall be an affirmative defense for an employer in any action alleging a violation of this subdivision. An employer may designate the person to whom a request under this subdivision will be made.
  (d) This section does not apply to any employer of any person employed by the owner or occupant of a residential dwelling whose duties are incidental to the ownership, maintenance, or use of the dwelling, including the care and supervision of children, or whose duties are personal and not in the course of the trade, business, profession, or occupation of the owner or occupant.
  (e) (1) An employee suffering injury as a result of a knowing and intentional failure by an employer to comply with subdivision (a) is entitled to recover the greater of all actual damages or fifty dollars ($50) for the initial pay period in which a violation occurs and one hundred dollars ($100) per employee for each violation in a subsequent pay period, not to exceed an aggregate penalty of four thousand dollars ($4,000), and is entitled to an award of costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
  (2) (A) An employee is deemed to suffer injury for purposes of this subdivision if the employer fails to provide a wage statement.
  (B) An employee is deemed to suffer injury for purposes of this subdivision if the employer fails to provide accurate and complete information as required by any one or more of items (1) to (9), inclusive, of subdivision (a) and the employee cannot promptly and easily determine from the wage statement alone one or more of the following:
  (i) The amount of the gross wages or net wages paid to the employee during the pay period or any of the other information required to be provided on the itemized wage statement pursuant to items (2) to (4), inclusive, (6), and (9) of subdivision (a).
  (ii) Which deductions the employer made from gross wages to determine the net wages paid to the employee during the pay period. Nothing in this subdivision alters the ability of the employer to aggregate deductions consistent with the requirements of item (4) of subdivision (a).
  (iii) The name and address of the employer and, if the employer is a farm labor contractor, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1682, the name and address of the legal entity that secured the services of the employer during the pay period.
  (iv) The name of the employee and only the last four digits of his or her social security number or an employee identification number other than a social security number.
  (C) For purposes of this paragraph, "promptly and easily determine" means a reasonable person would be able to readily ascertain the information without reference to other documents or information.
  (3) For purposes of this subdivision, a "knowing and intentional failure" does not include an isolated and unintentional payroll error due to a clerical or inadvertent mistake. In reviewing for compliance with this section, the factfinder may consider as a relevant factor whether the employer, prior to an alleged violation, has adopted and is in compliance with a set of policies, procedures, and practices that fully comply with this section.
  (f) A failure by an employer to permit a current or former employee to inspect or copy records within the time set forth in subdivision (c) entitles the current or former employee or the Labor Commissioner to recover a seven-hundred-fifty-dollar ($750) penalty from the employer.
  (g) The listing by an employer of the name and address of the legal entity that secured the services of the employer in the itemized statement required by subdivision (a) shall not create any liability on the part of that legal entity.
  (h) An employee may also bring an action for injunctive relief to ensure compliance with this section, and is entitled to an award of costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
  (i) This section does not apply to the state, to any city, county, city and county, district, or to any other governmental entity, except that if the state or a city, county, city and county, district, or other governmental entity furnishes its employees with a check, draft, or voucher paying the employee's wages, the state or a city, county, city and county, district, or other governmental entity shall use no more than the last four digits of the employee's social security number or shall use an employee identification number other than the social security number on the itemized statement provided with the check, draft, or voucher.

The requirements of item (9) of subdivision (a) of Section 226, with respect to a temporary services employer, do not apply to a security services company that is licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs and that solely provides security services.

This section shall apply for employees who are compensated on a piece-rate basis for any work performed during a pay period. This section shall not be construed to limit or alter minimum wage or overtime compensation requirements, or the obligation to compensate employees for all hours worked under any other statute or local ordinance. For the purposes of this section, "applicable minimum wage" means the highest of the federal, state, or local minimum wage that is applicable to the employment, and "other nonproductive time" means time under the employer's control, exclusive of rest and recovery periods, that is not directly related to the activity being compensated on a piece-rate basis.
  (a) For employees compensated on a piece-rate basis during a pay period, the following shall apply for that pay period:
  (1) Employees shall be compensated for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time separate from any piece-rate compensation.
  (2) The itemized statement required by subdivision (a) of Section 226 shall, in addition to the other items specified in that subdivision, separately state the following, to which the provisions of Section 226 shall also be applicable:
  (A) The total hours of compensable rest and recovery periods, the rate of compensation, and the gross wages paid for those periods during the pay period.
  (B) Except for employers paying compensation for other nonproductive time in accordance with paragraph (7), the total hours of other nonproductive time, as determined under paragraph (5), the rate of compensation, and the gross wages paid for that time during the pay period.
  (3) (A) Employees shall be compensated for rest and recovery periods at a regular hourly rate that is no less than the higher of:
  (i) An average hourly rate determined by dividing the total compensation for the workweek, exclusive of compensation for rest and recovery periods and any premium compensation for overtime, by the total hours worked during the workweek, exclusive of rest and recovery periods.
  (ii) The applicable minimum wage.
  (B) For employers who pay on a semimonthly basis, employees shall be compensated at least at the applicable minimum wage rate for the rest and recovery periods together with other wages for the payroll period during which the rest and recovery periods occurred. Any additional compensation required for those employees pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (A) is payable no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period.
  (C) (i) Employers who meet the requirements in clause (ii) shall have until April 30, 2016, to program their payroll systems to perform and record the calculation required by clause (i) of subparagraph (A) and comply with the itemized statement requirements in paragraph (2), so long as the employer pays piece rate employees for all rest and recovery periods at or above the applicable minimum wage from January 1, 2016, to April 30, 2016, inclusive, and pays the difference between the amounts paid and the amounts that would be owed under clause (i) of subparagraph (A), together with interest calculated in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 98.1, by no later than April 30, 2016.
  (ii) For an employer to meet the requirements of this subparagraph, all of the following shall apply:
  (I) The employer was acquired by another legal entity on or after July 1, 2015, and before October 1, 2015.
  (II) The employer employed at least 4,700 employees in this state at the time of the acquisition.
  (III) The employer employed at least 17,700 employees nationwide at the time of the acquisition.
  (IV) The employer was a publicly traded company on a national securities exchange at the time of the acquisition.
  (4) Employees shall be compensated for other nonproductive time at an hourly rate that is no less than the applicable minimum wage.
  (5) The amount of other nonproductive time may be determined either through actual records or the employer's reasonable estimates, whether for a group of employees or for a particular employee, of other nonproductive time worked during the pay period.
  (6) An employer who is found to have made a good faith error in determining the total or estimated amount of other nonproductive time worked during the pay period shall remain liable for the payment of compensation for all hours worked in other nonproductive time, but shall not be liable for statutory civil penalties, including, but not limited to, penalties under Section 226.3, or liquidated damages based solely on that error, provided that both of the following are true:
  (A) The employer has provided the wage statement information required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) and paid the compensation due for the amount of other nonproductive time determined by the employer in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (4) and (5).
  (B) The total compensation paid for any day in the pay period is no less than what is due under the applicable minimum wage and any required overtime compensation.
  (7) An employer who, in addition to paying any piece-rate compensation, pays an hourly rate of at least the applicable minimum wage for all hours worked, shall be deemed in compliance with paragraph (4).
  (b) Notwithstanding any other statute or regulation, the employer and any other person shall have an affirmative defense to any claim or cause of action for recovery of wages, damages, liquidated damages, statutory penalties, or civil penalties, including liquidated damages pursuant to Section 1194.2, statutory penalties pursuant to Section 203, premium pay pursuant to Section 226.7, and actual damages or liquidated damages pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 226, based solely on the employer's failure to timely pay the employee the compensation due for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time for time periods prior to and including December 31, 2015, if, by no later than December 15, 2016, an employer complies with all of the following:
  (1) The employer makes payments to each of its employees, except as specified in paragraph (2), for previously uncompensated or undercompensated rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time from July 1, 2012, to December 31, 2015, inclusive, using one of the formulas specified in subparagraph (A) or (B):
  (A) The employer determines and pays the actual sums due together with accrued interest calculated in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 98.1.
  (B) The employer pays each employee an amount equal to 4 percent of that employee's gross earnings in pay periods in which any work was performed on a piece-rate basis from July 1, 2012, to December 31, 2015, inclusive, less amounts already paid to that employee, separate from piece-rate compensation, for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time during the same time, provided that the amount by which the payment to each employee may be reduced for amounts already paid for other nonproductive time shall not exceed 1 percent of the employee's gross earnings during the same time.
  (2) Payment shall not be required for any part of the time period specified in paragraph (1) for which either of the following apply:
  (A) An employee has, prior to August 1, 2015, entered into a valid release of claims not otherwise banned by this code or any other applicable law for compensation for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time.
  (B) A release of claims covered by this subdivision executed in connection with a settlement agreement filed with a court prior to October 1, 2015, and later approved by the court.
  (3) By no later than July 1, 2016, the employer provides written notice to the department of the employer's election to make payments to its current and former employees in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision and subdivision (c).
  (A) The notice must include the legal name and address of the employer and must be mailed or delivered to the Director of Industrial Relations, Attn: Piece-Rate Section, 226.2 Election Notice, 1515 Clay Street, 17th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. The director may provide for an email address to receive notices electronically in lieu of postal mail.
  (B) The department shall post on its Internet Web site either a list of the employers who have provided the required notice or copies of the actual notices. The list or notices shall remain posted until March 31, 2017.
  (4) The employer calculates and begins making payments to employees as soon as reasonably feasible after it provides the notice referred to in paragraph (3) and completes the payments by no later than December 15, 2016, to each employee to whom the wages are due, or to the Labor Commissioner pursuant to Section 96.7 for any employee whom the employer cannot locate.
  (5) The employer provides each employee receiving a payment with an accompanying accurate statement that contains all of the following information:
  (A) A statement that the payment has been made pursuant to this section.
  (B) A statement as to whether the payment was determined based on the formula in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), or on the formula in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1).
  (C) If the payment is based on the formula in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), a statement, spreadsheet, listing, or similar document that states, for each pay period for which compensation was included in the payment, the total hours of rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time of the employee, the rates of compensation for that time, and the gross wages paid for that time.
  (D) If the payment is based on the formula in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1), a statement, spreadsheet, listing, or similar document that shows, for each pay period during which the employee had earnings during the period from July 1, 2012, through December 31, 2015, inclusive, the gross wages of the employee and any amounts already paid to the employee, separate from piece-rate compensation, for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time.
  (E) The calculations that were made to determine the total payment made.
  (c) An employer who makes a reasonable and good faith effort to make the payments described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), and to provide the accurate statement described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b), to all employees, but who solely through good faith error fails to make a payment to one or more employees as described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), or to provide an accurate statement as described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b), shall not lose the affirmative defense set forth in subdivision (b) as a result of that good faith error if the employer, within 30 days of discovery or notice of the error, makes the payment described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) together with accrued interest calculated in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 98.1 for any delay in payment after December 15, 2016, to the employees and accompanies the payment with an accurate statement as described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (b). The employer shall have the burden of proving that a failure to pay an employee was solely the result of good faith error.
  (d) (1) The employer shall use due diligence, including, but not limited to, the use of people locator services, to locate and pay former employees who no longer work for the employer in the event that former employees have relocated. For payments made to the Labor Commissioner pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b), the employer shall pay the Labor Commissioner an additional administrative fee equal to one-half of 1 percent of the aggregate payments made, or two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), whichever is less, for deposit into the Labor Enforcement and Compliance Fund.
  (2) Any payments made to the Labor Commissioner pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) shall be accompanied by a statement, in both printed and electronic format, that identifies each employee for whom payment is made, the amount payable to that employee, and if available, the employee's last known address and social security number.
  (3) The employer shall preserve all records of hours worked, calculations of hours worked, and records of payments made to employees and the Labor Commissioner pursuant to subdivision (b) and this subdivision, until December 16, 2020, and furnish the records related to an employee on request by the employee.
  (e) Beginning on January 1, 2016, and ending on July 1, 2016, if the employer has not provided the notice required by paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), or ending on December 15, 2016, if the employer has provided the notice required by paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), the statute of limitations shall be tolled for that period of time for any claims based on failure to fully compensate employees compensated on a piece-rate basis for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time prior to January 1, 2016.
  (f) Any notice to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency on or before December 31, 2015, pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 2699.3, alleging violations based upon failure to properly compensate employees for rest and recovery periods, is void as to those alleged violations. Beginning January 1, 2016, and subject to the tolling provisions of subdivision (e), an aggrieved employee or representative shall give written notice by certified mail to both the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the employer of any violations based on failure to compensate employees fully for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time.
  (g) The provisions in subdivisions (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) shall not apply to any of the following:
  (1) Damages and penalties previously awarded in an order or judgment that was final and not subject to further appeal as of January 1, 2016.
  (2) Claims based on the failure to provide paid rest or recovery periods or pay for other nonproductive time for which all of the following are true:
  (A) The claim was asserted in a court pleading filed prior to March 1, 2014, or was asserted in an amendment to a claim that relates back to a court pleading filed prior to March 1, 2014, and the amendment or permission for amendment was filed prior to July 1, 2015.
  (B) The claim was asserted against a defendant named with specificity and joined as a defendant, other than as an unnamed (DOE) defendant pursuant to Section 474 of the Code of Civil Procedure, in the pleading referred to in subparagraph (A), or another pleading or amendment filed in the same action prior to January 1, 2015.
  (3) Claims that employees were not advised of their right to take rest or recovery breaks, that rest and recovery breaks were not made available, or that employees were discouraged or otherwise prevented from taking such breaks.
  (4) Claims for unpaid wages, damages, and penalties that accrue after January 1, 2016.
  (5) Claims for paid rest or recovery periods or pay for other nonproductive time that were made in any case filed prior to April 1, 2015, when the case contained by that date an allegation that the employer has intentionally stolen, diminished, or otherwise deprived employees of wages through the use of fictitious worker names or names of workers that were not actually working.
  (6) An employer that is a new motor vehicle dealer, as defined by Section 426 of the Vehicle Code.
  (h) Amendment to assert the affirmative defense provided in subdivision (b) in actions filed on or after March 1, 2014, unless final and not subject to further appeal as of January 1, 2016, shall be permitted.
  (i) Nothing in this section shall limit or bar any action or proceeding by the Labor Commissioner or any private party for any failure to provide a rest and recovery period in accordance with any provision of this code, any order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, or any regulation adopted by the Department of Industrial Relations or any of its divisions, other than actions or proceedings based solely on the employer's failure to timely pay the compensation due for rest and recovery periods.
  (j) Nothing in this section precludes a judge from awarding statutory, contractual, or common fund attorney's fees or costs in connection with an action filed before October 1, 2015.
  (k) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed.

This section shall apply for employees who are compensated on a piece-rate basis for any work performed during a pay period. This section shall not be construed to limit or alter minimum wage or overtime compensation requirements, or the obligation to compensate employees for all hours worked under any other statute or local ordinance. For the purposes of this section, "applicable minimum wage" means the highest of the federal, state, or local minimum wage that is applicable to the employment, and "other nonproductive time" means time under the employer's control, exclusive of rest and recovery periods, that is not directly related to the activity being compensated on a piece-rate basis.
  (a) For employees compensated on a piece-rate basis during a pay period, the following shall apply for that pay period:
  (1) Employees shall be compensated for rest and recovery periods and other nonproductive time separate from any piece-rate compensation.
  (2) The itemized statement required by subdivision (a) of Section 226 shall, in addition to the other items specified in that subdivision, separately state the following, to which the provisions of Section 226 shall also be applicable:
  (A) The total hours of compensable rest and recovery periods, the rate of compensation, and the gross wages paid for those periods during the pay period.
  (B) Except for employers paying compensation for other nonproductive time in accordance with paragraph (7), the total hours of other nonproductive time, as determined under paragraph (5), the rate of compensation, and the gross wages paid for that time during the pay period.
  (3) (A) Employees shall be compensated for rest and recovery periods at a regular hourly rate that is no less than the higher of:
  (i) An average hourly rate determined by dividing the total compensation for the workweek, exclusive of compensation for rest and recovery periods and any premium compensation for overtime, by the total hours worked during the workweek, exclusive of rest and recovery periods.
  (ii) The applicable minimum wage.
  (B) For employers who pay on a semimonthly basis, employees shall be compensated at least at the applicable minimum wage rate for the rest and recovery periods together with other wages for the payroll period during which the rest and recovery periods occurred. Any additional compensation required for those employees pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (A) is payable no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period.
  (4) Employees shall be compensated for other nonproductive time at an hourly rate that is no less than the applicable minimum wage.
  (5) The amount of other nonproductive time may be determined either through actual records or the employer's reasonable estimates, whether for a group of employees or for a particular employee, of other nonproductive time worked during the pay period.
  (6) An employer who is found to have made a good faith error in determining the total or estimated amount of other nonproductive time worked during the pay period shall remain liable for the payment of compensation for all hours worked in other nonproductive time, but shall not be liable for statutory civil penalties, including, but not limited to, penalties under Section 226.3, or liquidated damages based solely on that error, provided that both of the following are true:
  (A) The employer has provided the wage statement information required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) and paid the compensation due for the amount of other nonproductive time determined by the employer in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (4) and (5).
  (B) The total compensation paid for any day in the pay period is no less than what is due under the applicable minimum wage and any required overtime compensation.
  (7) An employer who, in addition to paying any piece-rate compensation, pays an hourly rate of at least the applicable minimum wage for all hours worked, shall be deemed in compliance with paragraph (4).
  (b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2021.

Any employer who violates subdivision (a) of Section 226 shall be subject to a civil penalty in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per employee per violation in an initial citation and one thousand dollars ($1,000) per employee for each violation in a subsequent citation, for which the employer fails to provide the employee a wage deduction statement or fails to keep the records required in subdivision (a) of Section 226. The civil penalties provided for in this section are in addition to any other penalty provided by law. In enforcing this section, the Labor Commissioner shall take into consideration whether the violation was inadvertent, and in his or her discretion, may decide not to penalize an employer for a first violation when that violation was due to a clerical error or inadvertent mistake.

If, upon inspection or investigation, the Labor Commissioner determines that an employer is in violation of subdivision (a) of Section 226, the Labor Commissioner may issue a citation to the person in violation. The citation may be served personally or by registered mail in accordance with subdivision (c) of Section 11505 of the Government Code. Each citation shall be in writing and shall describe the nature of the violation, including reference to the statutory provision alleged to have been violated.

(a) If a person desires to contest a citation or the proposed assessment of a civil penalty therefor, he or she shall within 15 business days after service of the citation notify the office of the Labor Commissioner which appears on the citation of his or her request for an informal hearing. The Labor Commissioner or his or her deputy or agent shall, within 30 days, hold a hearing at the conclusion of which the citation or proposed assessment of a civil penalty shall be affirmed, modified, or dismissed. The decision of the Labor Commissioner shall consist of a notice of findings, findings, and order which shall be served on all parties to the hearing within 15 days after the hearing by regular first-class mail at the last known address of the party on file with the Labor Commissioner. Service shall be completed pursuant to Section 1013 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Any amount found due by the Labor Commissioner as a result of a hearing shall become due and payable 45 days after notice of the findings and written findings and order have been mailed to the party assessed. A writ of mandate may be taken from this finding to the appropriate superior court, as long as the party agrees to pay any judgment and costs ultimately rendered by the court against the party for the assessment. The writ shall be taken within 45 days of service of the notice of findings, findings, and order thereon.
  (b) A person to whom a citation has been issued shall, in lieu of contesting a citation pursuant to this section, transmit to the office of the Labor Commissioner designated on the citation the amount specified for the violation within 15 business days after issuance of the citation.
  (c) When no petition objecting to a citation or the proposed assessment of a civil penalty is filed, a certified copy of the citation or proposed civil penalty may be filed by the Labor Commissioner in the office of the clerk or the superior court in any county in which the person assessed has or had a place of business. The clerk, immediately upon the filing, shall enter judgment for the state against the person assessed in the amount shown on the citation or proposed assessment of a civil penalty.
  (d) When findings and the order thereon are made affirming or modifying a citation or proposed assessment of a civil penalty after hearing, a certified copy of these findings and the order entered thereon may be entered by the Labor Commissioner in the office of the clerk of the superior court in any county in which the person assessed has property or in which the person assessed has or had a place of business. The clerk, immediately upon the filing, shall enter judgment for the state against the person assessed in the amount shown on the certified order.
  (e) A judgment entered pursuant to this section shall bear the same rate of interest and shall have the same effect as other judgments and be given the same preference allowed by the law on other judgments rendered for claims for taxes. The clerk shall make no charge for the service provided by this section to be performed by him or her.

Any employer who knowingly and intentionally violates the provisions of Section 226, or any officer, agent, employee, fiduciary, or other person who has the control, receipt, custody, or disposal of, or pays, the wages due any employee, and who knowingly and intentionally participates or aids in the violation of any provision of Section 226 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or be imprisoned not to exceed one year, or both, at the discretion of the court. That fine or imprisonment, or both, shall be in addition to any other penalty provided by law.

(a) As used in this section, "recovery period" means a cooldown period afforded an employee to prevent heat illness.
  (b) An employer shall not require an employee to work during a meal or rest or recovery period mandated pursuant to an applicable statute, or applicable regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
  (c) If an employer fails to provide an employee a meal or rest or recovery period in accordance with a state law, including, but not limited to, an applicable statute or applicable regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the employer shall pay the employee one additional hour of pay at the employee's regular rate of compensation for each workday that the meal or rest or recovery period is not provided.
  (d) A rest or recovery period mandated pursuant to a state law, including, but not limited to, an applicable statute, or applicable regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, shall be counted as hours worked, for which there shall be no deduction from wages. This subdivision is declaratory of existing law.
  (e) This section shall not apply to an employee who is exempt from meal or rest or recovery period requirements pursuant to other state laws, including, but not limited to, a statute or regulation, standard, or order of the Industrial Welfare Commission.

(a) It is unlawful for any person or employer to engage in any of the following activities:
  (1) Willful misclassification of an individual as an independent contractor.
  (2) Charging an individual who has been willfully misclassified as an independent contractor a fee, or making any deductions from compensation, for any purpose, including for goods, materials, space rental, services, government licenses, repairs, equipment maintenance, or fines arising from the individual's employment where any of the acts described in this paragraph would have violated the law if the individual had not been misclassified.
  (b) If the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or a court issues a determination that a person or employer has engaged in any of the enumerated violations of subdivision (a), the person or employer shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) and not more than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) for each violation, in addition to any other penalties or fines permitted by law.
  (c) If the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or a court issues a determination that a person or employer has engaged in any of the enumerated violations of subdivision (a) and the person or employer has engaged in or is engaging in a pattern or practice of these violations, the person or employer shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) and not more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for each violation, in addition to any other penalties or fines permitted by law.
  (d) (1) If the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or a court issues a determination that a person or employer that is a licensed contractor pursuant to the Contractors' State License Law has violated subdivision (a), the agency, in addition to any other remedy that has been ordered, shall transmit a certified copy of the order to the Contractors' State License Board.
  (2) The registrar of the Contractors' State License Board shall initiate disciplinary action against a licensee within 30 days of receiving a certified copy of an agency or court order that resulted in disbarment pursuant to paragraph (1).
  (e) If the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or a court issues a determination that a person or employer has violated subdivision (a), the agency or court, in addition to any other remedy that has been ordered, shall order the person or employer to display prominently on its Internet Web site, in an area which is accessible to all employees and the general public, or, if the person or employer does not have an Internet Web site, to display prominently in an area that is accessible to all employees and the general public at each location where a violation of subdivision (a) occurred, a notice that sets forth all of the following:
  (1) That the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or a court, as applicable, has found that the person or employer has committed a serious violation of the law by engaging in the willful misclassification of employees.
  (2) That the person or employer has changed its business practices in order to avoid committing further violations of this section.
  (3) That any employee who believes that he or she is being misclassified as an independent contractor may contact the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. The notice shall include the mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the agency.
  (4) That the notice is being posted pursuant to a state order.
  (f) In addition to including the information specified in subdivision (e), a person or employer also shall satisfy the following requirements in preparing the notice:
  (1) An officer shall sign the notice.
  (2) It shall post the notice for one year commencing with the date of the final decision and order.
  (g) (1) In accordance with the procedures specified in Sections 98 to 98.2, inclusive, the Labor Commissioner may issue a determination that a person or employer has violated subdivision (a).
  (2) If, upon inspection or investigation, the Labor Commissioner determines that a person or employer has violated subdivision (a), the Labor Commissioner may issue a citation to assess penalties set forth in subdivisions (b) and (c) in addition to any other penalties or damages that are otherwise available at law. The procedures for issuing, contesting, and enforcing judgments shall be the same as those set forth in Section 1197.1.
  (3) The Labor Commissioner may enforce this section pursuant to Section 98 or in a civil suit.
  (h) Any administrative or civil penalty pursuant to subdivision (b) or (c) or disciplinary action pursuant to subdivision (d) or (e) shall remain in effect against any successor corporation, owner, or business entity that satisfies both of the following:
  (1) Has one or more of the same principals or officers as the person or employer subject to the penalty or action.
  (2) Is engaged in the same or a similar business as the person or employer subject to the penalty or action.
  (i) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
  (1) "Determination" means an order, decision, award, or citation issued by an agency or a court of competent jurisdiction for which the time to appeal has expired and for which no appeal is pending.
  (2) "Labor and Workforce Development Agency" means the Labor and Workforce Development Agency or any of its departments, divisions, commissions, boards, or agencies.
  (3) "Officer" means the chief executive officer, president, any vice president in charge of a principal business unit, division, or function, or any other officer of the corporation who performs a policymaking function. If the employer is a partnership, "officer" means a partner. If the employer is a sole proprietor, "officer" means the owner.
  (4) "Willful misclassification" means avoiding employee status for an individual by voluntarily and knowingly misclassifying that individual as an independent contractor.
  (j) Nothing in this section is intended to limit any rights or remedies otherwise available at law.

If an employer has made withholdings from an employee's wages pursuant to state, local, or federal law, or has agreed with any employee to make payments to a health or welfare fund, pension fund, or vacation plan, or other similar plan for the benefit of the employees, or a negotiated industrial promotion fund, or has entered into a collective bargaining agreement providing for these payments, it shall be unlawful for that employer willfully or with intent to defraud to fail to remit the withholdings to the proper agency or to fail to make the payments required by the terms of that agreement. A violation of any provision of this section when the amount the employer failed to pay into the fund or funds exceeds five hundred dollars ($500) shall be punishable by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code, or in a county jail for a period of not more than one year, by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine. All other violations shall be punishable as a misdemeanor. In a criminal proceeding under this section, any withholdings that are recovered from an employer shall be forwarded to the appropriate fund or plan and, if restitution is imposed, the court shall direct to which agency, entity, or person it shall be paid.

Unless otherwise provided by a collective-bargaining agreement, whenever a contract of employment or employer policy provides for paid vacations, and an employee is terminated without having taken off his vested vacation time, all vested vacation shall be paid to him as wages at his final rate in accordance with such contract of employment or employer policy respecting eligibility or time served; provided, however, that an employment contract or employer policy shall not provide for forfeiture of vested vacation time upon termination. The Labor Commissioner or a designated representative, in the resolution of any dispute with regard to vested vacation time, shall apply the principles of equity and fairness.

Whenever an employer has agreed with any employee to make payments to a health or welfare fund, pension fund or vacation plan, or such other plan for the benefit of the employee, or has entered into a collective bargaining agreement providing for such payments, the employer upon written request of the employee shall furnish such employee annually a statement indicating whether or not such payments have been made and for what periods.

The payments under Section 227 of this code shall be deemed to include payments to apprenticeship funds. This amendment is hereby declared to be merely a clarification of the original intention of the Legislature and is not a substantive change.

Actions to enforce the provisions of this article for the collection of due and unpaid wages claimed by an individual may be maintained without regard to the existence of any private agreement to arbitrate. This section shall not apply to claims involving any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of any collective bargaining agreement containing such an arbitration agreement.

(a) An employer shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee for taking time off to serve as required by law on an inquest jury or trial jury, if the employee, prior to taking the time off, gives reasonable notice to the employer that the employee is required to serve.
  (b) An employer shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against an employee, including, but not limited to, an employee who is a victim of a crime, for taking time off to appear in court to comply with a subpoena or other court order as a witness in any judicial proceeding.
  (c) An employer shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking for taking time off from work to obtain or attempt to obtain any relief, including, but not limited to, a temporary restraining order, restraining order, or other injunctive relief, to help ensure the health, safety, or welfare of the victim or his or her child.
  (d) (1) As a condition of taking time off for a purpose set forth in subdivision (c), the employee shall give the employer reasonable advance notice of the employee's intention to take time off, unless the advance notice is not feasible.
  (2) When an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer shall not take any action against the employee if the employee, within a reasonable time after the absence, provides a certification to the employer. Certification shall be sufficient in the form of any of the following:
  (A) A police report indicating that the employee was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  (B) A court order protecting or separating the employee from the perpetrator of an act of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or other evidence from the court or prosecuting attorney that the employee has appeared in court.
  (C) Documentation from a licensed medical professional, domestic violence counselor, as defined in Section 1037.1 of the Evidence Code, a sexual assault counselor, as defined in Section 1035.2 of the Evidence Code, licensed health care provider, or counselor that the employee was undergoing treatment for physical or mental injuries or abuse resulting in victimization from an act of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  (3) To the extent allowed by law and consistent with subparagraph (D) of paragraph (7) of subdivision (f), the employer shall maintain the confidentiality of any employee requesting leave under subdivision (c).
  (e) An employer shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against an employee because of the employee's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, if the victim provides notice to the employer of the status or the employer has actual knowledge of the status.
  (f) (1) An employer shall provide reasonable accommodations for a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking who requests an accommodation for the safety of the victim while at work.
  (2) For purposes of this subdivision, reasonable accommodations may include the implementation of safety measures, including a transfer, reassignment, modified schedule, changed work telephone, changed work station, installed lock, assistance in documenting domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking that occurs in the workplace, an implemented safety procedure, or another adjustment to a job structure, workplace facility, or work requirement in response to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or referral to a victim assistance organization.
  (3) An employer is not required to provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee who has not disclosed his or her status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  (4) The employer shall engage in a timely, good faith, and interactive process with the employee to determine effective reasonable accommodations.
  (5) In determining whether the accommodation is reasonable, the employer shall consider an exigent circumstance or danger facing the employee.
  (6) This subdivision does not require the employer to undertake an action that constitutes an undue hardship on the employer's business operations, as defined by Section 12926 of the Government Code. For the purposes of this subdivision, an undue hardship also includes an action that would violate an employer's duty to furnish and maintain a place of employment that is safe and healthful for all employees as required by Section 6400 of the Labor Code.
  (7) (A) Upon the request of an employer, an employee requesting a reasonable accommodation pursuant to this subdivision shall provide the employer a written statement signed by the employee or an individual acting on the employee's behalf, certifying that the accommodation is for a purpose authorized under this subdivision.
  (B) The employer may also request certification from an employee requesting an accommodation pursuant to this subdivision demonstrating the employee's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Certification shall be sufficient in the form of any of the categories described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d).
  (C) An employer who requests certification pursuant to subparagraph (B) may request recertification of an employee's status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking every six months after the date of the previous certification.
  (D) Any verbal or written statement, police or court record, or other documentation provided to an employer identifying an employee as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking shall be maintained as confidential by the employer and shall not be disclosed by the employer except as required by federal or state law or as necessary to protect the employee's safety in the workplace. The employee shall be given notice before any authorized disclosure.
  (E) (i) If circumstances change and an employee needs a new accommodation, the employee shall request a new accommodation from the employer.
  (ii) Upon receiving the request, the employer shall engage in a timely, good faith, and interactive process with the employee to determine effective reasonable accommodations.
  (F) If an employee no longer needs an accommodation, the employee shall notify the employer that the accommodation is no longer needed.
  (8) An employer shall not retaliate against a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking for requesting a reasonable accommodation, regardless of whether the request was granted.
  (g) (1) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off for a purpose set forth in subdivision (a) or (b) shall be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer.
  (2) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer for reasons prohibited in subdivision (c) or (e), or because the employee has requested or received a reasonable accommodation as set forth in subdivision (f), shall be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer, as well as appropriate equitable relief.
  (3) An employer who willfully refuses to rehire, promote, or otherwise restore an employee or former employee who has been determined to be eligible for rehiring or promotion by a grievance procedure or hearing authorized by law is guilty of a misdemeanor.
  (h) (1) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has exercised his or her rights as set forth in subdivision (a), (b), (c), (e), or (f) may file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement of the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 98.7.
  (2) Notwithstanding any time limitation in Section 98.7, an employee may file a complaint with the division based upon a violation of subdivision (c), (e), or (f) within one year from the date of occurrence of the violation.
  (i) An employee may use vacation, personal leave, or compensatory time off that is otherwise available to the employee under the applicable terms of employment, unless otherwise provided by a collective bargaining agreement, for time taken off for a purpose specified in subdivision (a), (b), or (c). The entitlement of any employee under this section shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement term or condition.
  (j) For purposes of this section:
  (1) "Domestic violence" means any of the types of abuse set forth in Section 6211 of the Family Code, as amended.
  (2) "Sexual assault" means any of the crimes set forth in Section 261, 261.5, 262, 265, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266g, 266j, 267, 269, 273.4, 285, 286, 288, 288a, 288.5, 289, or 311.4 of the Penal Code, as amended.
  (3) "Stalking" means a crime set forth in Section 646.9 of the Penal Code or Section 1708.7 of the Civil Code.

(a) In addition to the requirements and prohibitions imposed on employees pursuant to Section 230, an employer with 25 or more employees shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking for taking time off from work to attend to any of the following:
  (1) To seek medical attention for injuries caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  (2) To obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, program, or rape crisis center as a result of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  (3) To obtain psychological counseling related to an experience of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
  (4) To participate in safety planning and take other actions to increase safety from future domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including temporary or permanent relocation.
  (b) (1) As a condition of taking time off for a purpose set forth in subdivision (a), the employee shall give the employer reasonable advance notice of the employee's intention to take time off, unless the advance notice is not feasible.
  (2) When an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer shall not take any action against the employee if the employee, within a reasonable time after the absence, provides a certification to the employer. Certification shall be sufficient in the form of any of the categories described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 230.
  (3) To the extent allowed by law and consistent with subparagraph (D) of paragraph (7) of subdivision (f) of Section 230, employers shall maintain the confidentiality of any employee requesting leave under subdivision (a).
  (c) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off for a purpose set forth in subdivision (a) is entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer, as well as appropriate equitable relief. An employer who willfully refuses to rehire, promote, or otherwise restore an employee or former employee who has been determined to be eligible for rehiring or promotion by a grievance procedure or hearing authorized by law is guilty of a misdemeanor.
  (d) (1) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has exercised his or her rights as set forth in subdivision (a) may file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement of the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 98.7.
  (2) Notwithstanding any time limitation in Section 98.7, an employee may file a complaint with the division based upon a violation of subdivision (a) within one year from the date of occurrence of the violation.
  (e) An employee may use vacation, personal leave, or compensatory time off that is otherwise available to the employee under the applicable terms of employment, unless otherwise provided by a collective bargaining agreement, for time taken off for a purpose specified in subdivision (a). The entitlement of any employee under this section shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement term or condition.
  (f) This section does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or is in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq.).
  (g) For purposes of this section:
  (1) "Domestic violence" means any of the types of abuse set forth in Section 6211 of the Family Code, as amended.
  (2) "Sexual assault" means any of the crimes set forth in Section 261, 261.5, 262, 265, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266g, 266j, 267, 269, 273.4, 285, 286, 288, 288a, 288.5, 289, or 311.4 of the Penal Code, as amended.
  (3) "Stalking" means a crime set forth in Section 646.9 of the Penal Code or Section 1708.7 of the Civil Code.

(a) As used in this section:
  (1) "Immediate family member" means spouse, child, stepchild, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, mother, stepmother, father, or stepfather.
  (2) "Registered domestic partner" means a domestic partner, as defined in Section 297 of the Family Code, and registered pursuant to Part 2 (commencing with Section 298) of Division 2.5 of the Family Code.
  (3) "Victim" means a person against whom one of the following crimes has been committed:
  (A) A violent felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 of the Penal Code.
  (B) A serious felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1192.7 of the Penal Code.
  (C) A felony provision of law proscribing theft or embezzlement.
  (b) An employer, and any agent of an employer, shall allow an employee who is a victim of a crime, an immediate family member of a victim, a registered domestic partner of a victim, or the child of a registered domestic partner of a victim to be absent from work in order to attend judicial proceedings related to that crime.
  (c) Before an employee may be absent from work pursuant to subdivision (b), the employee shall give the employer a copy of the notice of each scheduled proceeding that is provided to the victim by the agency responsible for providing notice, unless advance notice is not feasible. When advance notice is not feasible or an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer shall not take any action against the employee if the employee, within a reasonable time after the absence, provides the employer with documentation evidencing the judicial proceeding from any of the following entities:
  (1) The court or government agency setting the hearing.
  (2) The district attorney or prosecuting attorney's office.
  (3) The victim/witness office that is advocating on behalf of the victim.
  (d) An employee who is absent from work pursuant to subdivision (b) may elect to use the employee's accrued paid vacation time, personal leave time, sick leave time, compensatory time off that is otherwise available to the employee, or unpaid leave time, unless otherwise provided by a collective bargaining agreement, for an absence pursuant to subdivision (b). The entitlement of any employee under this section shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement term or condition.
  (e) An employer shall keep confidential any records regarding the employee's absence from work pursuant to subdivision (b).
  (f) An employer may not discharge from employment or in any manner discriminate against an employee, in compensation or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, including, but not limited to the loss of seniority or precedence, because the employee is absent from work pursuant to this section.
  (g) (1) Any employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has exercised his or her rights as set forth in subdivision (b) may file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement of the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 98.7.
  (2) Notwithstanding any time limitation in Section 98.7, an employee filing a complaint with the division based upon a violation of subdivision (b) shall have one year from the date of occurrence of the violation to file his or her complaint.
  (h) District attorney and victim/witness offices are encouraged to make information regarding this section available for distribution at their offices.

(a) An employer shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee for taking time off to perform emergency duty as a volunteer firefighter, a reserve peace officer, or emergency rescue personnel.
  (b) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off to perform emergency duty as a volunteer firefighter, a reserve peace officer, or emergency rescue personnel shall be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer. Any employer who willfully refuses to rehire, promote, or otherwise restore an employee or former employee who has been determined to be eligible for rehiring or promotion by a grievance procedure, arbitration, or hearing authorized by law, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
  (c) (1) Subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section shall not apply to any public safety agency or provider of emergency medical services if, as determined by the employer, the employee's absence would hinder the availability of public safety or emergency medical services.
  (2) An employee who is a health care provider shall notify his or her employer at the time the employee becomes designated as emergency rescue personnel and when the employee is notified that he or she will be deployed as a result of that designation.
  (d) (1) For purposes of this section, "volunteer firefighter" shall have the same meaning as the term "volunteer" in Section 50952 of the Government Code.
  (2) For purposes of this section, "emergency rescue personnel" means any person who is an officer, employee, or member of a fire department or fire protection or firefighting agency of the federal government, the State of California, a city, county, city and county, district, or other public or municipal corporation or political subdivision of this state, or of a sheriff's department, police department, or a private fire department, or of a disaster medical response entity sponsored or requested by this state, whether that person is a volunteer or partly paid or fully paid, while he or she is actually engaged in providing emergency services as defined by Section 1799.107 of the Health and Safety Code.
  (3) For purposes of this section, "health care provider" means any person licensed or certified pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of the Business and Professions Code, or licensed pursuant to the Osteopathic Initiative Act, or the Chiropractic Initiative Act.

(a) An employee who performs duty as a volunteer firefighter, a reserve peace officer, or as emergency rescue personnel, as defined in Section 230.3, and who works for an employer employing 50 or more employees, shall be permitted to take temporary leaves of absence, not to exceed an aggregate of 14 days per calendar year, for the purpose of engaging in fire, law enforcement, or emergency rescue training.
  (b) An employee who works for an employer employing 50 or more employees who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off to engage in fire, law enforcement, or emergency rescue training as provided in subdivision (a), is entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer.
  (c) An employee seeking reinstatement and reimbursement pursuant to this section may file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in accordance with Section 98.7 and, upon receipt of this type of complaint, the Labor Commissioner shall proceed as provided in that section.

(a) (1) An employer shall not discharge or in any manner discriminate or retaliate against an employee who is a victim of an offense listed in paragraph (2) for taking time off from work, upon the victim's request, to appear in court to be heard at any proceeding, including any delinquency proceeding, involving a postarrest release decision, plea, sentencing, postconviction release decision, or any proceeding in which a right of the victim is at issue.
  (2) The offenses include all of the following:
  (A) Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 191.5 of the Penal Code.
  (B) Felony child abuse likely to produce great bodily harm or a death, as defined in Section 273a of the Penal Code.
  (C) Assault resulting in the death of a child under eight years of age, as defined in Section 273ab of the Penal Code.
  (D) Felony domestic violence, as defined in Section 273.5 of the Penal Code.
  (E) Felony physical abuse of an elder or dependent adult, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 368 of the Penal Code.
  (F) Felony stalking, as defined in Section 646.9 of the Penal Code.
  (G) Solicitation for murder, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 653f of the Penal Code.
  (H) A serious felony, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1192.7 of the Penal Code.
  (I) Hit-and-run causing death or injury, as defined in Section 20001 of the Vehicle Code.
  (J) Felony driving under the influence causing injury, as defined in Section 23153 of the Vehicle Code.
  (K) Sexual assault as set forth in Section 261, 261.5, 262, 265, 266, 266a, 266b, 266c, 266g, 266j, 267, 269, 273.4, 285, 286, 288, 288.5, 288a, 289, or 311.4 of the Penal Code.
  (b) (1) As a condition of taking time off for a purpose set forth in subdivision (a), the employee shall give the employer reasonable advance notice of the employee's intention to take time off, unless the advance notice is not feasible.
  (2) When an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer shall not take any action against the employee if the employee, within a reasonable time after the absence, provides a certification to the employer. Certification shall be sufficient in the form of any of the following:
  (A) A police report indicating that the employee was a victim of an offense specified in subdivision (a).
  (B) A court order protecting or separating the employee from the perpetrator of an offense specified in subdivision (a), or other evidence from the court or prosecuting attorney that the employee has appeared in court.
  (C) Documentation from a medical professional, domestic violence advocate or advocate for victims of sexual assault, health care provider, or counselor that the employee was undergoing treatment for physical or mental injuries or abuse resulting in victimization from an offense specified in subdivision (a).
  (3) To the extent allowed by law, the employer shall maintain the confidentiality of any employee requesting leave under subdivision (a).
  (c) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off for a purpose set forth in subdivision (a) shall be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer. Any employer who willfully refuses to rehire, promote, or otherwise restore an employee or former employee who has been determined to be eligible for rehiring or promotion by a grievance procedure or hearing authorized by law is guilty of a misdemeanor.
  (d) (1) An employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has exercised his or her rights as set forth in subdivision (a) may file a complaint with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement of the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Section 98.7.
  (2) Notwithstanding any time limitation in Section 98.7, an employee may file a complaint with the division based upon a violation of subdivision (a) within one year from the date of occurrence of the violation.
  (e) An employee may use vacation, personal leave, or compensatory time off that is otherwise available to the employee under the applicable terms of employment, unless otherwise provided by a collective bargaining agreement, for time taken off for a purpose specified in this section. The entitlement of any employee under this section shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement term or condition.
  (f) For purposes of this section, "victim" means any person who suffers direct or threatened physical, psychological, or financial harm as a result of the commission or attempted commission of a crime or delinquent act. The term "victim" also includes the person's spouse, parent, child, sibling, or guardian.

(a) No employer shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against an employee who is the parent or guardian of a pupil for taking time off to appear in the school of a pupil pursuant to a request made under Section 48900.1 of the Education Code, if the employee, prior to taking the time off, gives reasonable notice to the employer that he or she is requested to appear in the school.
  (b) Any employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off to appear in the school of a pupil pursuant to a request made under Section 48900.1 of the Education Code shall be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by those acts of the employer.

(a) (1) An employer who employs 25 or more employees working at the same location shall not discharge or in any way discriminate against an employee who is a parent of one or more children of the age to attend kindergarten or grades 1 to 12, inclusive, or a licensed child care provider, for taking off up to 40 hours each year, for the purpose of either of the following child-related activities:
  (A) To find, enroll, or reenroll his or her child in a school or with a licensed child care provider, or to participate in activities of the school or licensed child care provider of his or her child, if the employee, prior to taking the time off, gives reasonable notice to the employer of the planned absence of the employee. Time off pursuant to this subparagraph shall not exceed eight hours in any calendar month of the year.
  (B) To address a child care provider or school emergency, if the employee gives notice to the employer.
  (2) If more than one parent of a child is employed by the same employer at the same worksite, the entitlement under paragraph (1) of a planned absence as to that child applies, at any one time, only to the parent who first gives notice to the employer, such that another parent may take a planned absence simultaneously as to that same child under the conditions described in paragraph (1) only if he or she obtains the employer's approval for the requested time off.
  (b) (1) The employee shall utilize existing vacation, personal leave, or compensatory time off for purposes of the planned absence authorized by this section, unless otherwise provided by a collective bargaining agreement entered into before January 1, 1995, and in effect on that date. An employee also may utilize time off without pay for this purpose, to the extent made available by his or her employer. The entitlement of any employee under this section shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining agreement term or condition that is agreed to on or after January 1, 1995.
  (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in the event that all permanent, full-time employees of an employer are accorded vacation during the same period of time in the calendar year, an employee of that employer may not utilize that accrued vacation benefit at any other time for purposes of the planned absence authorized by this section.
  (c) The employee, if requested by the employer, shall provide documentation from the school or licensed child care provider as proof that he or she engaged in child-related activities permitted in subdivision (a) on a specific date and at a particular time. For purposes of this subdivision, "documentation" means whatever written verification of parental participation the school or licensed child care provider deems appropriate and reasonable.
  (d) Any employee who is discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended, or in any other manner discriminated against in terms and conditions of employment by his or her employer because the employee has taken time off to engage in child-related activities permitted in subdivision (a) shall be entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer. Any employer who willfully refuses to rehire, promote, or otherwise restore an employee or former employee who has been determined to be eligible for rehiring or promotion by a grievance procedure, arbitration, or hearing authorized by law shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount equal to three times the amount of the employee's lost wages and work benefits.
  (e) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (1) "Parent" means a parent, guardian, stepparent, foster parent, or grandparent of, or a person who stands in loco parentis to, a child.
  (2) "Child care provider or school emergency" means that an employee's child cannot remain in a school or with a child care provider due to one of the following:
  (A) The school or child care provider has requested that the child be picked up, or has an attendance policy, excluding planned holidays, that prohibits the child from attending or requires the child to be picked up from the school or child care provider.
  (B) Behavioral or discipline problems.
  (C) Closure or unexpected unavailability of the school or child care provider, excluding planned holidays.
  (D) A natural disaster, including, but not limited to, fire, earthquake, or flood.

Any employer who requires, as a condition of employment, that an employee have a driver's license shall pay the cost of any physical examination of the employee which may be required for issuance of such license, except where the physical examination was taken prior to the time the employee applied for such employment with the employer.

No employer may do any of the following:
  (a) Require, as a condition of employment, that an employee refrain from disclosing the amount of his or her wages.
  (b) Require an employee to sign a waiver or other document that purports to deny the employee the right to disclose the amount of his or her wages.
  (c) Discharge, formally discipline, or otherwise discriminate against an employee who discloses the amount of his or her wages.

No employer may do any of the following:
  (a) Require, as a condition of employment, that an employee refrain from disclosing information about the employer's working conditions.
  (b) Require an employee to sign a waiver or other document that purports to deny the employee the right to disclose information about the employer's working conditions.
  (c) Discharge, formally discipline, or otherwise discriminate against an employee who discloses information about the employer's working conditions.
  (d) This section is not intended to permit an employee to disclose proprietary information, trade secret information, or information that is otherwise subject to a legal privilege without the consent of his or her employer.

(a) Any employer who provides sick leave for employees shall permit an employee to use in any calendar year the employee's accrued and available sick leave entitlement, in an amount not less than the sick leave that would be accrued during six months at the employee's then current rate of entitlement, for the reasons specified in subdivision (a) of Section 246.5. This section does not extend the maximum period of leave to which an employee is entitled under Section 12945.2 of the Government Code or under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2601 et seq.), regardless of whether the employee receives sick leave compensation during that leave.
  (b) As used in this section:
  (1) "Employer" means any person employing another under any appointment or contract of hire and includes the state, political subdivisions of the state, and municipalities.
  (2) "Family member" has the same meaning as defined in Section 245.5.
  (3) (A) "Sick leave" means accrued increments of compensated leave provided by an employer to an employee as a benefit of the employment for use by the employee during an absence from the employment for any of the reasons specified in subdivision (a) of Section 246.5.
  (B) "Sick leave" does not include any benefit provided under an employee welfare benefit plan subject to the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-406, as amended) and does not include any insurance benefit, workers' compensation benefit, unemployment compensation disability benefit, or benefit not payable from the employer's general assets.
  (c) An employer shall not deny an employee the right to use sick leave or discharge, threaten to discharge, demote, suspend, or in any manner discriminate against an employee for using, or attempting to exercise the right to use, sick leave to attend to an illness or the preventive care of a family member, or for any other reason specified in subdivision (a) of Section 246.5.
  (d) Any employee aggrieved by a violation of this section shall be entitled to reinstatement and actual damages or one day's pay, whichever is greater, and to appropriate equitable relief.
  (e) Upon the filing of a complaint by an employee, the Labor Commissioner shall enforce this section in accordance with Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 79) of Division 1, including, but not limited to, Sections 92, 96.7, 98, and 98.1 to 98.8, inclusive. Alternatively, an employee may bring a civil action for the remedies provided by this section in a court of competent jurisdiction. If the employee prevails, the court may award reasonable attorney's fees.
  (f) The rights and remedies specified in this section are cumulative and nonexclusive and are in addition to any other rights or remedies afforded by contract or under other law.

An employer absence control policy that counts sick leave taken pursuant to Section 233 as an absence that may lead to or result in discipline, discharge, demotion, or suspension is a per se violation of Section 233. An employee working under this policy is entitled to appropriate legal and equitable relief pursuant to Section 233.

(a) If a final judgment against an employer arising from the employer's nonpayment of wages for work performed in this state remains unsatisfied after a period of 30 days after the time to appeal therefrom has expired and no appeal therefrom is pending, the employer shall not continue to conduct business in this state, including conducting business using the labor of another business, contractor, or subcontractor instead of the labor of an employee, unless the employer has obtained a bond from a surety company admitted to do business in this state and has filed a copy of that bond with the Labor Commissioner. The bond shall be effective and maintained until satisfaction of all judgments for nonpayment of wages. The principal sum of the bond shall not be less than the following:
  (1) Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) if the unsatisfied portion of the judgment is no more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
  (2) One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) if the unsatisfied portion of the judgment is more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) and no more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
  (3) One hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) if the unsatisfied portion of the judgment is more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
  (b) In lieu of filing and maintaining the bond required by this section, the employer may provide the Labor Commissioner with a notarized copy of an accord reached with an individual holding an unsatisfied final judgment. If the accord provides for the judgment to be paid in installments, and an installment payment is not made, the employer is no longer excused from satisfying the bond requirement of this section.
  (c) (1) The bond required by this section shall be in favor of, and payable to, the people of the State of California, and shall be for the benefit of any employee damaged by his or her employer's failure to pay wages, including any interest, penalties, and attorney' s fees.
  (2) This section shall not require a bond in favor of employees covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, if the agreement expressly provides for wages, hours of work, working conditions, a process to resolve disputes concerning nonpayment of wages, and a waiver of the bond required by this section.
  (3) Thirty days prior to the cancellation or termination of any bond required by this section, the surety shall send written notice to both the employer and the Labor Commissioner, identifying the bond and the date of the cancellation or termination. If the bond is terminated or canceled, the employer shall obtain a new surety bond and file a copy of that bond with the Labor Commissioner to remain in compliance with this section.
  (d) For purposes of this section, a judgment also includes any final arbitration award where the time to file a petition for a trial de novo or a petition to vacate or correct the arbitration award has expired and no petition is pending.
  (e) Subject to subdivision (f), an employer similar in operation and ownership to an employer with an unsatisfied final judgment for unpaid wages, upon receiving written notice of the unsatisfied judgment, shall be deemed the same employer for purposes of this section if (1) the employees of the successor employer are engaged in substantially the same work in substantially the same working conditions under substantially the same supervisors or (2) if the new entity has substantially the same production process or operations, produces substantially the same products or offers substantially the same services, and has substantially the same body of customers.
  (f) Any employer, or other person acting on behalf of an employer, that conducts business in violation of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500). Any employer that has previously been assessed and failed to pay a penalty pursuant to this section shall be subject to an additional penalty of one hundred dollars ($100) for each calendar day that the employer conducts business in violation of this section; however, this additional amount shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). These civil penalties may be assessed under a citation issued by the Labor Commissioner and the procedures for issuing, contesting, and enforcing judgments shall be the same as those set forth in Section 1197.1. The Labor Commissioner shall not assess these civil penalties against an entity determined to be a successor employer pursuant to subdivision (e) within the first 30 days after notice of the judgment.

(a) Where an employer is conducting business in violation of Section 238, the Labor Commissioner may issue and serve on that employer a stop order prohibiting the use of employee labor by that employer until the employer's compliance with Section 238, provided that the stop order would not compromise or imperil public safety or the life, health, and care of vulnerable individuals. The stop order shall also prohibit the employer from continuing to provide services by conducting business using the labor of another business, contractor, or subcontractor. The stop order shall become effective immediately upon the service of the order. Any employee affected by the work stoppage shall be paid by the employer for such time lost, not exceeding 10 days, pending compliance by the employer. The employer may protest the stop order by making and filing with the Labor Commissioner a written request for a hearing within 20 days after service of the stop order. The hearing shall be held within five days from the date of filing the request. The Labor Commissioner shall notify the employer of the time and place of the hearing by mail. At the conclusion of the hearing, the stop order shall be immediately affirmed or dismissed, and within 24 hours thereafter, the Labor Commissioner shall issue and serve on all parties to the hearing by registered or certified mail a written notice of findings, accompanied by written findings. A writ of mandate may be taken from the findings to the appropriate superior court. The writ shall be taken within 45 days after the mailing of the notice of findings accompanied by written findings. The Labor Commissioner may file an action in superior court for injunctive and other appropriate relief to enforce the stop order and shall be entitled to recovery of costs and attorney's fees if any relief is obtained by the Labor Commissioner.
  (b) Failure of an employer, owner, director, officer, or managing agent of the employer to observe a stop order issued and served upon him or her pursuant to this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in county jail not exceeding 60 days or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both. For the purposes of this section, the term "managing agent" has the same meaning as in subdivision (b) of Section 3294 of the Civil Code.

(a) The Labor Commissioner may create a lien on any real property in California of an employer, or a successor employer pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 238, that is conducting business in violation of Section 238 for the full amount of any wages, interest, and penalties claimed to be owed to any employee. To the extent attorney's fees are specifically allowed to be recovered by this code, such as by, but not limited to, subdivision (f) of Section 2673.1 and Section 2802, during a hearing pursuant to Section 98, the Labor Commissioner may include that amount in the lien.
  (b) The Labor Commissioner may create the lien provided in this section by recording a certificate of lien using the same procedure applicable under subdivision (g) of Section 98.2.
  (c) The Labor Commissioner shall issue a certificate of release, releasing the lien created under this section, upon final satisfaction of any judgment entered in favor of the employee, upon adjudication of the claim in favor of the employer, upon the filing of a surety bond pursuant to Section 238. The certificate of release may be recorded by the employer at the employer's expense.
  (d) Unless the lien is satisfied or released, a lien under this section shall continue until 10 years from the date of its creation.
  (e) Prior to using the lien procedure in this section, the Labor Commissioner shall provide at least 20 days' notice to the employer. The notice shall advise the employer of the Labor Commissioner's authority to create a lien on the property to secure payment of the claim.
  (f) The Labor Commissioner may serve the notice with and in the same manner as the order, decision, and award in accordance with Section 98.1.
  (g) A lien created pursuant to this section is in addition to any other lien rights available to an employee or to the Labor Commissioner and shall not be construed to limit those rights.

(a) The Labor Commissioner may create a lien on any personal property in California of an employer that conducts business in violation of Section 238 for the full amount of any wages, interest, and penalties claimed to be owed to any employee. To the extent attorney's fees are specifically allowed to be recovered by this code, such as by, but not limited to, subdivision (f) of Section 2673.1 and Section 2802, during a hearing pursuant to Section 98, the Labor Commissioner may include that amount in the lien.
  (b) The Labor Commissioner may create the lien provided in this section by filing a notice of lien with the Secretary of State on the standard form of initial financing statement pursuant to Section 9521 of the Commercial Code. The standard form shall be completed in the following manner:
  (1) The Labor Commissioner shall be identified as the secured party.
  (2) The employer shall be identified as the debtor.
  (3) The description of the collateral shall include the following statements:
  (A) A statement of the Labor Commissioner's demand for payment of the wages, penalties, interest, and attorney's fees, if applicable. The statement shall specify the amount owed to the employee, and if the amount is estimated, shall provide an explanation for the basis of the estimate.
  (B) A general statement of the kind of work furnished by the employee and the dates of employment.
  (c) For the purpose of the Secretary of State's index pursuant to Sections 9515, 9516, and 9522 of the Commercial Code and for the purpose of the issuance of a certificate pursuant to Section 9519 or 9528 of the Commercial Code, the Secretary of State shall treat a notice of lien pursuant to this section as a financing statement.
  (d) The lien attaches to all personal property that is owned by the employer at the time of the filing of the notice of lien, or that is subsequently acquired by the employer, that can be made subject to a security interest under the Commercial Code.
  (e) The Labor Commissioner shall file a termination statement, releasing the lien created under this section, upon final satisfaction of any judgment entered in favor of the employee, upon adjudication of the claim in favor of the employer, upon the filing of a surety bond in a form acceptable to the Labor Commissioner sufficient to secure the claim.
  (f) The notice of claim of lien to which the termination statement relates ceases to be effective upon the filing of a termination statement with the office of the Secretary of State. A termination statement for a notice of lien may be filed in the same manner as a termination statement for a financing statement filed pursuant to Section 9513 of the Commercial Code.
  (g) Unless the lien is satisfied or released, a lien under this section shall continue until 10 years from the date of its creation.
  (h) Prior to using this lien procedure in this section, the Labor Commissioner shall provide at least 20 days' preliminary notice to the employer. The preliminary notice shall advise the employer of the nature and amount of the employee's claim and of the Labor Commissioner's authority to create a lien on the employer's personal property to secure payment of the claim.
  (i) The Labor Commissioner shall serve the preliminary notice on the employer by certified mail with return receipt requested, evidenced by a certificate of mailing, postage prepaid, addressed to the employer at the employer's residence or place of business. The Labor Commissioner shall serve a copy of any notice of lien on the employer in the same manner.
  (j) Upon entry of a final order, decision, or award issued in an appeal pursuant to Section 98.2 against the employer for unpaid wages, or entry of a final judgment against the employer for unpaid wages in an action filed in the superior court, the Labor Commissioner may bring an action to foreclose on any lien created pursuant to this section.
  (k) A lien created pursuant to this section in addition to any other lien rights available to an employee or to the Labor Commissioner shall not be construed to limit those rights.

(a) If an employer in the long-term care industry that is also required to obtain a license from the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with Section 1200) of the Health and Safety Code, is found to be in violation of Section 238, the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services may deny a new license or the renewal of an existing license for that employer.
  (b) If the Labor Commissioner finds that an employer in the long-term care industry is conducting business in violation of Section 238, the Labor Commissioner shall notify the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services.
  (c) For purposes of this section "long-term care" means the operation of a skilled nursing facility, intermediate care facility, congregate living health facility, hospice facility, adult residential facility, residential care facility for persons with chronic life-threatening illness, residential care facility for the elderly, continuing care retirement community, home health agency, or home care organization, as those terms are used in Division 2 (commencing with Section 1200) of the Health and Safety Code.

(a) (1) Any individual or business entity, regardless of its form, that, as part of its business, contracts for services in the property services or long-term care industries shall be jointly and severally liable for any unpaid wages, including interest, where the individual or business entity has been provided notice, by any party, of any proceeding or investigation by the Labor Commissioner in which the employer is found liable for those unpaid wages, to the extent the amounts are for services performed under that contract.
  (2) The issue of joint and several liability under this section shall be determined (A) in a proceeding under Section 98 if the individual or contracting business is provided notice in the administrative complaint alleging such liability and named a defendant in the course of the Section 98 proceeding, (B) in an administrative proceeding brought by the Labor Commissioner to investigate, prosecute, or recover unpaid wages and interest pursuant to a citation, or in a court action brought by the Labor Commissioner, if the contracting individual or business is provided preliminary notice by the Labor Commissioner of joint and several liability under this section at least 30 days prior to issuance of a citation, or filing of a court action, or (C) by a court in an action pursuant to Section 98.2. No action for a violation or enforcement of this section shall be brought under Part 13 (commencing with Section 2698) of Division 2.
  (b) The joint and several liability provided by this section shall not apply to unpaid wages owed to employees covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, if the agreement expressly provides for wages, hours of work, working conditions, a process to resolve disputes concerning nonpayment of wages, and a waiver of the joint and several liability provided by this section.
  (c) An employer that contracts to provide services in the property services or long-term care industries shall, prior to entering into such a contract, provide written notice to the other party to the prospective contract of any unsatisfied final judgments against the employer for nonpayment of wages. The notice shall also provide the text of this section. The failure of the employer to provide notice under this subdivision shall not be a defense to the joint and several liability provided by this section.
  (d) An employer that contracts to provide services in the property services or long-term care industries shall provide, within 30 days of the entry of the judgment, written notice of any unsatisfied final judgments against the employer for nonpayment of wages to any parties with which the employer is presently under contract to provide services in the property services or long-term care industries. The failure of the employer to provide notice under this subdivision shall not be a defense to the joint and several liability provided by this section.
  (e) For the purposes of this section, the following apply:
  (1) "Property services" means janitorial, security guard, valet parking, landscaping, and gardening services.
  (2) "Long-term care" has the same definition as in Section 238.4.
  (f) This section shall not be interpreted to impose joint liability on an individual or the owner of a home-based business, for any property services, to the extent that the property services are provided at the individual or home-based business owner's primary residence, provided that the primary residence does not have multiple housing units.

(a) If any employer has been convicted of a violation of any provision of this article, or if any judgment against an employer for nonpayment of wages remains unsatisfied for a period of 10 days after the time to appeal therefrom has expired, and no appeal therefrom is then pending, the Labor Commissioner may require the employer to deposit a bond in such sum as the Labor Commissioner may deem sufficient and adequate in the circumstances, to be approved by the Labor Commissioner. The bond shall be payable to the Labor Commissioner and shall be conditioned that the employer shall, for a definite future period, not exceeding two years, pay the employees in accordance with the provisions of this article, and shall be further conditioned upon the payment by the employer of any judgment which may be recovered against the employer pursuant to the provisions of this article.
  (b) If an order to post a bond issued against an employer under this section remains unsatisfied for a period of 10 days after the time to appeal therefrom has expired, and no appeal from the order is then pending, the Labor Commissioner may require the employer to provide an accounting of assets of the employer, including a list of all bank accounts, accounts receivable, personal property, real property, automobiles or other vehicles, and any other assets, in a form and manner as prescribed by the Labor Commissioner. An employer shall provide an amended accounting of assets, if ordered by the Labor Commissioner to do so. If, within 10 days after a demand for an accounting of assets, made by certified or registered mail, the employer fails to provide an accounting, or if the employer fails to provide an amended accounting after receiving a demand by the Labor Commissioner to do so, the Labor Commissioner may bring an action in the name and on behalf of the people of the State of California against such employer to compel the employer to furnish the accounting. An employer who fails to provide an accounting as required by this subdivision shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
  (c) If, within 10 days after demand for the bond, which demand may be made by mail, the employer fails to deposit the bond, the Labor Commissioner may bring an action in the name and on behalf of the people of the State of California against the employer in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel the employer to furnish the bond or to cease doing business until the employer has done so. The employer has the burden of proving either that the bond is unnecessary or that the amount demanded is excessive. If the court finds that there is just cause for requiring the bond, and that the bond is reasonably necessary or proper to secure prompt payment of the wages of the employees of the employer and the employer's compliance with the provisions of this article, the court may enjoin the employer, whether an individual, partnership, corporation, company, trust, or association, and such other person or persons as may have been or may be concerned with or in any way participating in the failure to pay the wages resulting in the conviction or in the judgment, from doing business until the requirement is met, and make other and further orders appropriate to compel compliance with the requirement.

(a) If, within 10 years of either a conviction for a violation of this article or failing to satisfy a judgment for nonpayment of wages, or of both, it is alleged that an employer on a second occasion has been convicted of again violating this article or is failing to satisfy a judgment for nonpayment of wages, an employee or the employee's legal representative, an attorney licensed to practice law in this state, may, on behalf of himself or herself and others, bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the employer from doing business in this state unless the employer deposits with the court a bond to secure compliance by the employer with this article or to satisfy the judgment for nonpayment of wages.
  (b) Upon the filing of an affidavit that, to the satisfaction of the court, shows reasonable proof that an employer, for the second time within 10 years, has been convicted of violating this article or has failed to satisfy a judgment for the nonpayment of wages, or both, the court may grant an order that prohibits the employer within 30 days from conducting any business within the state unless the employer deposits a bond payable to the Labor Commissioner, with the condition that the employer make wage payments in accordance with this article, or that the employer pay any unsatisfied judgment for nonpayment of wages, or both. The court shall order that the bond be on deposit with the Labor Commissioner at all times within a five-year period from the date of the order, that the employer employs more than 10 employees. The court shall order that the bond be in an amount equal to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or 25 percent of the weekly gross payroll of the employer at the time of the posting of the bond, whichever is greater, and that the term of the bond be for the duration of the service of the employee who brought the action, until past due wages have been paid, or until satisfaction of all judgments for nonpayment of wages. The bond shall also be payable for wages, interest on wages and for any damages arising from any violation of orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission, and for any other monetary relief awarded to an employee as a result of a violation of this code. To aid in the enforcement of this section, upon a request by the Labor Commissioner or an employee bringing an action pursuant to this section, the court may additionally require the employer to provide an accounting of assets of the employer, including a list of all bank accounts, accounts receivable, personal property, real property, automobiles or other vehicles, and any other assets, in a form and manner as prescribed by the court. An employer shall provide an amended accounting of assets if ordered by the court to do so. If, within 10 days after a demand for an accounting of assets, which demand may be made by certified or registered mail, the employer shall fail to provide an accounting, or if the employer fails to provide an amended accounting being ordered to do so, the court may take all appropriate action to enforce its order, including the imposition of appropriate sanctions.
  (c) For purposes of subdivision (b), an employer shall be deemed to have been convicted of having violated this article or to have failed to satisfy a judgment for the second time within 10 years if, to secure labor or personal services in connection with his or her business, the employer uses the services of an agent, contractor, or subcontractor who is convicted of a violation of this article or fails to satisfy a judgment for wages respecting those employees, or both, but only if the employer had actual knowledge of the person's failure to pay wages. In issuing a temporary restraining order pursuant to this section, the court, in determining the amount and term of the bond, shall count the agent's, contractor's, or subcontractor's employees as part of the employer's total workforce. This subdivision shall not apply where a temporary restraining order against the agent, contractor, or subcontractor as an employer has been issued pursuant to subdivision (b).
  (d) An employer who, for the third time within 10 years of the first occurrence, is alleged to have violated this article or to have failed to satisfy a judgment for nonpayment of wages, or both, shall be deemed by the court to have commenced a new five-year period for which the posting of a bond may be ordered in accordance with subdivision (b), except that the court may, in its discretion, require the posting of a bond in a greater amount as it determines appropriate under the circumstances.
  (e) A former employee who was a party to an earlier action against an employer in which a judgment for the payment of wages was obtained, and who alleges that the employer has failed to satisfy the judgment for the payment of wages, in addition to any other available remedy, may petition the court pursuant to subdivision (b) for a temporary restraining order against the employer to cease doing business in this state unless the employer posts a bond with the court.
  (f) Actions brought pursuant to this section shall be set for trial at the earliest possible date, and shall take precedence over all other cases, except older matters of the same character and matters to which special precedence may be given by law.
  (g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose any mandatory duties on the Labor Commissioner.

(a) An individual is not required to exhaust administrative remedies or procedures in order to bring a civil action under any provision of this code, unless that section under which the action is brought expressly requires exhaustion of an administrative remedy. This subdivision shall not be construed to affect the requirements of Section 2699.3.
  (b) Reporting or threatening to report an employee's, former employee's, or prospective employee's suspected citizenship or immigration status, or the suspected citizenship or immigration status of a family member of the employee, former employee, or prospective employee, to a federal, state, or local agency because the employee, former employee, or prospective employee exercises a right under the provisions of this code, the Government Code, or the Civil Code constitutes an adverse action for purposes of establishing a violation of an employee's, former employee's, or prospective employee's rights. As used in this subdivision, "family member" means a spouse, parent, sibling, child, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, cousin, grandparent, or grandchild related by blood, adoption, marriage, or domestic partnership.