San Diego City Council approves code amendments to prosecute wage theft

All Streams Politics San Diego City Council approves code amendments to prosecute wage theft By City News Service Published October 13, 2026 at 11:28 AM PDT Updated October 13, 2026 at 3:08 PM PDT Facebook WhatsApp Email Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters The San Diego City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved amending the municipal code to strengthen the city's ability to enforce wage theft laws, including allowing civil action to recover unpaid wages and overtime.

Council members Marni von Wilpert and Sean Elo-Rivera proposed the amendments to the law, which previously did not authorize such civil actions.

Wage theft is a widespread and underreported form of economic harm affecting workers across San Diego, often occurring at a scale that rivals other forms of theft," a city document states. "It takes many forms, depriving workers of wages and benefits they have legally earned. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor underscores the scope of the issue, with significant amounts of unpaid wages recovered each year, while many violations still go unreported."

Become a KPBS sponsor On Jan. 1, 2027, San Diego's minimum wage will rise from $17.75 to $18.35 per hour, but von Wilpert and Elo-Rivera said the increase will matter only if workers receive the wages they are owed.