Members of the new Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, from left: Carolina Babbidge, Shane Ross and Kyle Cakebread. The team is tasked with enforcing minimum wage laws and protecting worker rights across San Mateo County.
Redwood City — San Mateo County has officially launched an ambitious effort to crack down on wage theft and support low-wage workers in securing fair pay and basic dignity on the job.
The new initiative, approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors, aims to provide support for both workers and employers seeking answers to questions about labor laws and wages.
It also includes a strong outreach campaign to educate workers about their rights and minimum wages in local jurisdictions.
“Wage theft is a huge problem here in California, and particularly in our county,” said Carolina Babbidge, a Deputy County Attorney with the new Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement. “It disproportionately harms minority groups, especially in construction, hospitality, domestic work and agriculture.”
Babbidge said many affected workers don’t have the means to seek legal help and are often afraid to report violations due to immigration status, embarrassment or other barriers. “I feel this very close to my heart,” she said, “because I'm an immigrant myself, so I know the difficulties that this represents for people who do not have the means to hire an attorney.”
A new, free advice hotline is available to assist both workers and employers in navigating local and state labor laws. The goal is to provide a level playing field, so responsible employers aren’t undercut by competitors who don’t follow the law.
“With the launch of the OLSE, every San Mateo County worker now has a place they can go to locally to receive help and seek justice, if they are being taken advantage of and wronged on a jobsite,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller, who worked to create the office with then-Supervisor Dave Pine.
“Additionally, every San Mateo County business has a place they can go and ask questions, to stay up to date with current laws so they don’t inadvertently get into trouble,” Mueller said. “As a result, the future is brighter for workers and businesses in San Mateo County, and that’s a great thing.”
The new office is a joint effort by the County Executive’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office. On June 10, the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance giving the office authority to issue citations and impose penalties. The ordinance takes effect Thursday, July 10.
"This new initiative gives teeth to the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement to go after employers underpaying or not paying their workers by fining them for their violations,” Supervisor Jackie Speier said. “We’ve seen in other parts of California that when a local agency has the authority to investigate, issue citations, and impose penalties, wage theft goes down and compliance goes up. This new amendment will single out bad actors and bring justice to employees and other employers who play by the rules.”
Outreach materials in English, Spanish and Chinese are being distributed across San Mateo County. Resources in all three languages are available on the program’s website.
Recent research highlights the need for local enforcement and education.
Workers in the San Francisco metropolitan area, which includes San Mateo County, lost an average of $4,300 to $4,900 annually due to minimum wage violations, the highest in California, according to a May 2024 study by researchers at Rutgers University.
The report found that the number of workers paid below both state and local minimum wages in the region has more than doubled over that period, with violations rising most steeply in 2023.
“Our goal is to support fair labor practices and that requires us to bring employers into compliance whenever possible,” said Shane Ross, labor standards manager in the County Executive’s Office. “But when that’s not possible, we’ll pursue civil or criminal enforcement, depending on the case.”
San Mateo County’s labor community welcomed the launch of a new initiative as a meaningful step toward economic justice for the region’s most vulnerable workers.
“This is a major step forward for working people in San Mateo County,” said Julie Lind, executive officer of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council. “When workers know their rights and have real enforcement behind them, it levels the playing field and helps lift up entire communities.”
The new ordinance gives the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement the power to issue administrative citations and penalties for violations including incomplete payroll records, failing to pay minimum wage and retaliation, among other issues. This builds on the District Attorney’s existing authority to prosecute criminal wage theft, as well as a 2024 state law that empowered both the District Attorney’s Office and County Attorney’s Office, as public prosecutors, to enforce key provisions of the California Labor Code.
With new tools and partnerships in place, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe says his office is cracking down on wage theft and labor trafficking.
"My office's role in the new OLSE, along with other partnerships, has provided new resources to uncover wage theft and labor trafficking across San Mateo County’s various industries — uncovering more than $200,000 in stolen wages. We have filed criminal charges, launched several investigations and built a strong network of community partners who ensure every victim’s story reaches our team," Wagstaffe said.
"With this momentum, we are relentlessly pursuing every dollar owed and sending an unmistakable message: in San Mateo County, stealing from workers will cost you far more than you ever saved."
Reporting Violations and Available Resources
The County has made a confidential, free, and multilingual hotline (1-866-870-7725) available to workers and employers with questions related to labor standards.
Workers can also report suspected violations by calling the hotline or sending the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement an email at olse@smcgov.org. More information and resources are available on OLSE’s website at www.smcgov.org/OLSE.
All reports are confidential and free of charge. Outreach materials are available in multiple languages.
California City and County Minimum Wages, July 1, 2025
Several local cities as well as the County of San Mateo have established higher local minimum wages than the state's $16.50 per hour.
For instance, workers must earn at least $17.46 an hour in unincorporated San Mateo County as of Jan. 1, 2025.
Additionally, fast-food restaurant employers and health care facility employers are subject to higher minimum wages under state law.
Effie Milionis Verducci
Interim Director, Strategic Communications
San Mateo County Executive’s Office
650-407-4915
everducci@smcgov.org