Business
California sets $19.75 wage floor for covered farmworkers
The new law applies to temporary agricultural workers brought into California through approved job orders and to in-state workers doing substantially similar work for the same employer.
California has enacted a new wage floor for agricultural workers employed through the federal H-2A guest-worker program and for certain California employees who work alongside them.
Law: Assembly Bill 2646
Base wage: $19.75 an hour
Effective: January 1, 2027
Coverage: Approved temporary or seasonal agricultural workers and corresponding employees
Who the law covers
The chaptered bill defines an “approved agricultural employee” as an out-of-state resident authorized for temporary or seasonal farm work through a state-approved application or job order. It also covers a California employee doing the same or substantially similar work for the same employer in the same county during the same period.
The measure is therefore narrower than a blanket minimum-wage increase for every California farmworker.
Annual adjustments begin in 2027
AB 2646 establishes a $19.75 base hourly rate and directs the state to adjust the covered wage each January beginning in 2027 using the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment. ABC30 reported that worker advocates supported the higher floor, while growers warned that it could add to farms’ operating costs.
Official law: California Legislative Information →
Original reporting: ABC30 Action News →