Labor Day celebrates the people whose work powers San Diego County communities and economy. It also reminds us that our region must continue to remain vigilant on our commitment to dignity, fairness and opportunity while confronting the challenges that still face workers and businesses today.
Five years ago, at the direction of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, the county established the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement. The move came after workers, community organizations and advocates made clear that the region needed a local agency that could answer questions, protect rights and help employers understand their responsibilities. Five years later, this office advances a clear regional goal: make San Diego County the best place in the nation to work and do business.
We confront wage theft head-on by employing a three-part strategic approach: education, enforcement and policy development. When employers deny minimum wage, overtime, breaks or paid sick leave, workers lose income, families struggle and responsible businesses face unfair competition. We prevent violations by educating workers and employers. Through our partnership with Shaw Law Group, we have trained more than 2,000 local businesses on labor standards. Through Employee Rights Center, workers receive “know your rights” education and direct support when they believe wage theft has occurred. When prevention is not enough, we enforce the law. The Workplace Justice Fund helps workers collect judgments, recovering more than $220,000 as of July 2026. The Good Faith Restaurant Program uses the county’s food-permitting system to encourage restaurants to resolve outstanding wage claims. We also take proactive enforcement action. This year, the county filed its first major wage theft lawsuit against grocery-store sushi franchise companies for allegedly misclassifying workers as independent franchisees. These cases show why regional enforcement matters: protecting workers ensures that responsible employers can compete on a level playing field.
Our policy work is informed by the community we serve. When workers or employers tell us about gaps in the law, we help fill them through policy and program development. The county’s fair chance ordinance and employer toolkit help reduce unnecessary employment barriers for people with conviction histories. Our workers’ rights enforcement grant strengthens local capacity to investigate wage theft, while partnerships with groups like the Employee Rights Center and Pilipino Workers Center ground our programs in community experience.
Our pre-judgment enforcement efforts have helped hundreds of workers recover more than $146,000 in unpaid wages, and our outreach has connected thousands more with essential information and resources.
Five years of progress is worth celebrating, but the work is not finished. To build a regional culture of workplace fairness, workers need accessible ways to raise concerns, employers need practical compliance tools and communities need confidence that the rules apply equally.
This Labor Day, we call on workers and employers across the region to view the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement as a partner. A strong regional economy depends on both workers and businesses thriving — and the office exists to help San Diego County lead the way.
Butler is director for the County of San Diego Office of Ethics, Compliance, and Labor Standards. You can reach him at Branden.Butler@sdcounty.ca.gov.