CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

CHAPTER 38

Statutes of 2026

[ Approved by Governor June 30, 2026. Filed with Secretary of State June 30, 2026. ]

Introduced by Assembly Member Rogers

January 13, 2026

An act to add Section 786.6 to the Penal Code, relating to criminal procedure.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: no   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law sets forth specific rules relating to the jurisdiction for the prosecution of theft by fraud, organized retail theft, and receiving stolen property, including that the jurisdiction for prosecution includes the county where an offense involving the theft or receipt of the stolen merchandise occurred, the county in which the merchandise was recovered, or the county where any act was done by the defendant in instigating, procuring, promoting, or aiding or abetting in the commission of a theft offense or other qualifying offense.

This bill would make the jurisdiction of a criminal action for wage theft or labor trafficking, as defined, also include the county in which the victim resided at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking, the county in which the victim was present at the time the employment contract was entered into, the county in which any portion of the work was performed, or the county in which the business or any of its locations was situated at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking, as specified.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 786.6 is added to the Penal Code, to read:

786.6.

(a) The jurisdiction of a criminal action for wage theft, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 487m and Section 1199 of the Labor Code, or labor trafficking, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 236.1, shall also include the county in which the victim resided at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking, the county in which the victim was present at the time the employment contract was entered into, the county in which any portion of the work was performed, or the county in which the business or any of its locations was situated at the time of the wage theft or labor trafficking.

(b) If multiple offenses of wage theft or labor trafficking involving the same defendant or defendants occur in multiple jurisdictions, then any of those jurisdictions are a proper jurisdiction for all of the offenses, subject to a hearing pursuant to Section 954 in the jurisdiction of the proposed trial. At the hearing pursuant to Section 954, the prosecution shall present written evidence that all district attorneys in counties with jurisdiction over the offenses agree to the venue. Charged offenses from jurisdictions where there is not a written agreement from the district attorney shall be returned to that jurisdiction.

(c) Jurisdiction also extends to all associated offenses connected together in their commission to the underlying wage theft or labor trafficking offenses.