By Vicky Li
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Monday, Senator Jerry McNerney’s (D-Pleasanton) office announced that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 846 into law, a measure designed to protect California farmworkers from wage theft.
“California’s essential farmworkers are under an unprecedented attack by President Trump’s dangerous and illegal immigration raids. So, it’s imperative that California does all it can to protect farmworkers from workplace mistreatment — specifically, from wage theft,” Senator McNerney said.
The press release from McNerney’s office stated that SB 846 helps ensure agricultural employers are held accountable when they engage in wage theft and that farmworkers have a path to recover stolen wages.
The release also acknowledged the contributions of California’s 800,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers, who help cultivate more than 400 agricultural products statewide, noting their heightened vulnerability to wage theft.
McNerney’s office explained that although California enacted a law in 1976 to help farmworkers reclaim stolen wages, the outdated language has rendered the statute largely ineffective.
“SB 846 modernizes and strengthens the 1976 statute to ensure California agricultural businesses that engage in wage theft are held accountable and farmworkers can recover stolen wages,” the statement read.
The bill passed both the Senate and the Assembly unanimously. SB 846 is the first bill authored by McNerney to be signed into law since he took office in December 2024. It will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
