SB 572 Authorizes Labor Commissioner Enforcement of Wage Liens With Property Lien
Simplifies and expedites the process for filing liens to enforce final BOFE citations
By Chris Micheli, September 28, 2021 3:30 pm
On September 27, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 572 by Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles), dealing with enforcement of wage liens against employers. The bill adds Section 90.8 to the Labor Code as an alternative to judgment liens assessed by the California Labor Commissioner. The bill grants authority to the Labor Commissioner to create a lien on real property in order to secure a final amount due to the Labor Commissioner’s Bureau of Field Enforcement (BOFE) division.
These amounts can be assessed through Labor Commissioner citations, findings, or decisions. The amounts are subject to the real property lien once they become final and may be entered as a judgment. This new lien on real property may be created by the Labor Commissioner by recording a certificate of lien with the county recorder in which the party has real property. As a result, the lien could attach to all interests in that real property. The county recorder is required to accept and record the lien certificate.
Only upon payment of the amount due must the Labor Commissioner issue a certificate of release, which is recorded by any person at the person’s expense. Finally, the bill provides that, unless the lien is satisfied or released, a lien under this new section of law would continue until 10 years from the date of its creation. Moreover, the lien may be renewed for additional periods of 10 years by recording a renewal of certificate of lien or a copy of the renewed judgment at any time prior to its expiration.
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This is actually a welcome change. I had four co-workers who filed claims for unpaid wages. The owner succeeded in not paying for over 3 years and finally declared bankruptcy. Only one of the four collected anything. It is easy for an unscrupulous employer to cheat the workers out of wages. It is next to impossible to actually collect even with the BOFE filing a judgement.