MARTINEZ - Nine Contra Costa County restaurants are now facing more than $200,000 in administrative fines for failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance. On June 26 and July 20, 2018, investigators from the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, California Department of Industrial Relations’ Labor Commissioner’s Office, and California Employment Development Department conducted surprise inspections at Contra Costa County restaurants suspected of deliberately evading the obligation to provide workers’ compensation insurance to employees.
The citations issued by the Labor Commissioner’s Office allege that the restaurants cumulatively employed 55 workers without providing insurance coverage in the event of an injury on the job. The restaurants failed to respond to a warning letter from the District Attorney’s Office in July of 2017.
“State investigators don’t often get the spotlight, but they conduct very important investigative work that puts money back into the state’s general fund, they work to protect workers, to level the playing field for labor law-abiding business owners and to curb the underground economy,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.
The Labor Code requires employers to provide workers compensation insurance to cover employees in the event of an on-the-job injury.
"This operation protects employers who are playing by the rules from being undercut by those who don’t," said California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su. “We also issued these citations because employees are entitled to workers’ compensation insurance if they are hurt on the job."
Failure to provide the insurance is punishable by substantial fines and misdemeanor criminal prosecution.
Fined were:
- Meson Azteca, Pleasant Hill ($71,668)
- New Lim's Garden, Concord ($51,262)
- Dragon City Restaurant, Brentwood ($28,500)
- La Mordida, Pleasant Hill ($16,500)
- Sushi One, Brentwood ($15,000)
- Sunshine Café, Pleasant Hill ($7,500)
- Tacos El Patron, Pleasant Hill ($7,500)
- Grant Street Pub and Pizzeria, Concord ($6,500)
- Sunshine Café, 2227,Pittsburg ($4,500)
