The Fresno City Attorney’s Office received $720,000 from the California Labor Commissioner to prosecute businesses for not paying workers their due.

In February, the city council authorized City Attorney Andrew Janz to create a new division focused on wage theft.

“To folks who are not experiencing wage theft this may seem like a remote issue but to the workers affected, not receiving pay for a job done is the difference between feeding your children or paying for rent,” Janz said in a news release.

New Wage Theft Program to Be Launched Aug. 1

The $720,000 is from the labor commissioner’s Workers’ Rights Enforcement Grant program. The city will launch its program on Aug. 1, and it will have a website where workers can file complaints. An information workshop will also be launched at the end of July.

“Every hard-working employee in our city deserves to be paid the wages they’re owed,” said Councilmember Tyler Maxwell. “Securing this grant brings us another step closer to getting justice for the many families being taken advantage of across Fresno. Bad actors will be held accountable and together we will create a city where workers’ rights are respected and protected.”