The California Labor Commissioner’s Office recently fined 19 car washes in Los Angeles County’s South Bay area and Orange County a total of $1.3 million for a range of wage theft violations and civil penalties. This action affected a total of 960 workers and centered particularly on two businesses: Redondo Auto Spa LLC, trading as Redondo Car Wash, and Rock N Roll Car Wash LLC, located in Hermosa Beach. The violations spanned several areas, including the failure to register with the Labor Commissioner’s Office, improper payments of minimum wages, and the denial of mandatory rest breaks. Some workers even reported facing retaliation, such as dismissals and reductions in hours, as a result of their cooperation with investigators.
The investigations, which began in September 2022, were part of the Labor Commissioner’s Office’s California Strategic Enforcement Partnership. These investigations were spurred by referrals from the Community Labor Environmental Action Network, a nonprofit organization that advocates for car wash workers. The Labor Commissioner’s Office operates under the Department of Industrial Relations and conducted these investigations to ensure compliance with California’s labor laws. This significant action underscores the state’s commitment to protecting workers’ rights and highlights the serious repercussions for businesses that exploit their employees through wage theft and other labor law violations.
