The workplace justice fund provides economic assistance to workers experiencing wage theft or retaliation and helps workers get the money they are owed. Since the fund began the County Office of Labor Standards was able to distribute financial assistance to 34 workers and is in the process of helping them recover their wages. The fund is working but there is no more funding for this fiscal year. We need to make sure the County continues to fund this program and makes sure workers get the money they are owed.

​​The right to a lawyer is a fundamental right. The County must continue to ensure everyone has access to this fundamental right by including $5 million for the Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program (IRLDP). Immigrants who have counsel win their cases more than five times as often as immigrants without legal representation. For immigrants, access to direct legal representation is the last line of defense against separation of families and communities. Detention and deportations harm all of us.

​San Diego has become one of the most expensive regions for renters. Seniors, people with disabilities and other people living on a fixed income cannot afford rent. The County has a responsibility to prevent homelessness and displacement of renters. Most rental assistance programs only provide limited funding for a small amount of time, leaving people on fixed incomes vulnerable to homelessness after the funding period ends. We are calling on the County to allocate $50 million to provide long term rental subsidies to very low and low-income tenants. 

The vast majority of hourly workers have experienced wage theft and other labor law violations. The OLSE and its programs are helping workers but is not adequately resourced and staffed given the scale that workers are experiencing wage theft, retaliation, harassment, discrimination and exploitation. The Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement must hire worker centered staff, particularly attorneys, to investigate industries with high levels of wage theft, process wage theft claims and recover money for workers.

Kaiser, the healthcare option for most County employees, increased the cost of healthcare by almost 15% in 2024 and the same issue is anticipated for next year. San Diego is one of the most expensive regions in the nation and the County must ensure that workers are not overburdened, by closing this gap and increasing the amount it contributes towards healthcare for County workers.