Bill would let Attorney General seek license suspensions for contractors with serious repeat wage-theft findings

Assemblymember Gabriel presented AB 1002, a bill that would authorize the California Department of Justice, in coordination with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), to seek suspension or revocation of contractor licenses in cases where employers have been found to commit serious or repeated wage theft.

Attorney General representatives told lawmakers the bill does not create new remedies but expands which agency — the Attorney General’s office — can obtain remedies (including license suspension or revocation) that currently the CSLB can pursue. Evan Acheron, a special assistant to the attorney general, said the measure is narrowly drafted and includes guardrails: DOJ would act only in cooperation with CSLB, only after wage-law violations are proven in civil actions, and a court would impose any license remedies. The CSLB and labor organizations, including building trades councils and sheet-metal unions, supported the bill as a tool to hold bad actors accountable and level the playing field for law-abiding contractors.

Labor witnesses described contractors who continued to secure public and private work despite outstanding civil wage assessments; proponents said AB 1002 would allow enforcement to reach license revocation in the most egregious cases and prevent repeat offenders from winning new contracts while workers remain unpaid.

Why it matters: AB 1002 would provide the Attorney General a defined route to seek licensing sanctions against contractor firms with proven, serious wage-theft judgments, strengthening the enforcement toolkit available to protect workers and honest contractors.