claims and demands and that the sum specified therein is the amount found due and payable. The certificate of the commissioner shall be considered by the court but shall not, by itself, be sufficient evidence to support a judgment.
(Added by Stats. 1974, Ch. 201.)
96.6. The Industrial Relations Unpaid Wage Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury, which is continuously appropriated for the purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 96.7.
(Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 714.)
96.7. The Labor Commissioner, after investigation and upon determination that wages or monetary benefits are due and unpaid to any worker in the State of California, may collect such wages or benefits on behalf of the worker without assignment of such wages or benefits to the commissioner.
(a) The Labor Commissioner shall act as trustee of all such collected unpaid wages or benefits, and shall deposit such collected moneys in the Industrial Relations Unpaid Wage Fund.
(b) The Labor Commissioner shall make a diligent search to locate any worker for whom the Labor Commissioner has collected unpaid wages or benefits.
(c) All wages or benefits collected under this section shall be remitted to the worker, his lawful representative, or to any trust or custodial fund established under a plan to provide health and welfare, pension, vacation, retirement, or similar benefits from the Industrial Relations Unpaid Wage Fund.
(d) Any unpaid wages or benefits collected by the Labor Commissioner pursuant to this section shall be retained in the Industrial Relations Unpaid Wage Fund until remitted pursuant to subdivision (c), or until deposited in the General Fund.
(e) The Controller shall, at the end of each fiscal year, transfer to the General Fund the unencumbered balance, less six months of expenditures as determined by the Director of Finance, in the Industrial Relations Unpaid Wage Fund.
(f) All wages or benefits collected under this section which cannot be remitted from the Industrial Relations Unpaid Wage Fund pursuant to subdivision (c) because money has been transmitted to the General Fund shall be paid out of the General Fund from funds appropriated for that purpose.
(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 74, Sec. 54. Effective July 19, 2005.)
96.8. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, beginning 20 days after a judgment is entered by a court of competent jurisdiction in favor of the Labor Commissioner, or in favor of any employee pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 98.2, the Labor Commissioner may, with the consent of any employee in whose favor the judgment is entered, collect any outstanding amount of the judgment by mailing a notice of levy upon all persons having in their possession, or who will have in their possession or under their control, any credits, money, or property belonging to the judgment debtor, or who owe any debt to the judgment debtor at the time they receive the notice of levy.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the Labor Commissioner may execute a levy on any property that may be levied under Section 700.140, 700.150, 700.160, or 700.170 of the Code of Civil Procedure by mailing a notice of levy to the person against whom the levy is directed and serving a copy on the judgment debtor. The notice of levy shall contain all of the information required to be included in a writ of execution under Section 699.520 of the Code of Civil Procedure and in a notice of levy under Section 699.540 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(c) Any person, upon whom a levy has been noticed having in his or her possession or under his or her control any credits, money, or property belonging to the judgment debtor or owing any debts to the judgment debtor at the time of receipt of the levy or coming into his or her possession or under his or her control within one year of receipt of the notice of levy, shall surrender the credits, money, or property to the Labor Commissioner or pay to the Labor Commissioner the amount of any debt owed to the judgment debtor within 10 days of service of the levy, and shall surrender the credits or property, or the amount of any debt owing to the judgment debtor coming into his or her own possession or control within one year of receipt of the notice of levy within 10 days of the date of coming into possession or control of the credits or property or the amount of any debt owed to the judgment debtor.
(d) Any person who surrenders to the Labor Commissioner pursuant to this section any credits, money, or property, or pays the debts owed to the judgment debtor, shall be discharged from any obligation or liability to the judgment debtor to the extent of the amount paid to the Labor Commissioner as a result of the levy.
(e) If the levy is made on a deposit or credits, money, or property in the possession or under the control of a bank, savings and loan association, or other financial institution as defined by Section 669a(d)(1) of Title 42 of the United States Code, the notice of levy may be delivered or mailed to a centralized location designated by the bank, savings and loan association, or other financial institution pursuant to Section 690.050 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(f) Any person who is noticed with a levy pursuant to this section and who fails or refuses to surrender any credits, money, or property or pay any debts owed to the judgment debtor shall be liable in his or her own person or estate to the Labor Commissioner in an amount equal to the value of the credits, money, or other property or in the amount of the levy, up to the amount specified in the levy.
(g) The fees, commissions, expenses, and the reasonable costs associated with the sale of property levied upon by warrant or levy pursuant to this section, including, but not limited to, appraisers’ fees, auctioneers’ fees, and advertising fees are an obligation of the judgment debtor and may be collected from the judgment debtor by virtue of the warrant or levy or in any other manner as though these items were part of the judgment or award outstanding.
(h) This section shall not apply to the judgment debtor’s interest in real property.
(i) This section shall not apply if enforcement of the judgment has been stayed on appeal pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 916) of Title 13 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 803, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2016.)
97. The Labor Commissioner, his deputies and representatives shall not be bound by any rule requiring the consent of the spouse of a married claimant, the filing of a lien for record before it is assigned, or prohibiting the assignment of a claim for penalty before the claim has been incurred or any other technical rule with reference to the validity of assignments.
(Amended by Stats. 1939, Ch. 1114.)
98. (a) The Labor Commissioner is authorized to investigate employee complaints. The Labor Commissioner may provide for a hearing in any action to recover wages, penalties, and other demands for compensation, including liquidated damages if the complaint alleges payment of a wage less than the minimum wage fixed by an order of the Industrial Welfare Commission or by statute, properly before the division or the Labor Commissioner, including orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission, and shall determine all matters arising under his or her jurisdiction. The Labor Commissioner may also provide for a hearing to recover civil penalties due pursuant to Section 558 against any employer or other person acting on behalf of an employer, including, but not limited to, an individual liable pursuant to Section 558.1. It is within the jurisdiction of the Labor Commissioner to accept and determine claims from holders of payroll checks or payroll drafts returned unpaid because of insufficient funds, if, after a diligent search, the holder is unable to return the dishonored check or draft to the payee and recover the sums paid out. Within 30 days of the filing of the complaint, the Labor Commissioner shall notify the parties as to whether a hearing will be held, whether action will be taken in accordance with Section 98.3, or whether no further action will be taken on the complaint. If the determination is made by the Labor Commissioner to hold a hearing, the
