Contractors: failure to pay wages: discipline.

Assembly Member Gabriel's legislation empowers California's Attorney General to pursue civil actions against contractors who fail to pay required wages, adding a new enforcement mechanism to existing contractor licensing regulations. The Attorney General may seek court orders to suspend or revoke contractor licenses, or deny license applications, when contractors have failed to pay workers full wages under state law, have not satisfied wage judgments, or have violated court orders regarding wage payments.

The bill establishes specific procedures for these enforcement actions, requiring the Attorney General to notify the Contractors State License Board's registrar 30 days before filing civil complaints. The board may intervene in proceedings within 60 days of filing, after which court approval is needed. When ordering license discipline, courts must consider the registrar's existing disciplinary framework while maintaining authority to specify suspension or revocation terms. The legislation includes an exception for contractors who make good faith mistakes in determining applicable wage rates.

These provisions complement the registrar's current authority to take administrative action against contractor licenses. The board retains its ability to investigate violations and pursue separate disciplinary measures, regardless of whether it intervenes in Attorney General proceedings. Court orders under this law constitute formal disciplinary actions, subject to existing reinstatement procedures and public disclosure requirements under contractor licensing statutes.