The San Mateo County Attorney's Office filed a civil lawsuit seeking to recover wages owed to workers at a plant nursery near Half Moon Bay.
The lawsuit, filed August 10, 2026, alleges multiple wage theft violations including breaches of the County of San Mateo Minimum Wage Ordinance and related California labor laws. The defendants are Cal Coast Orchids, LLC, a producer of ornamental plants with facilities near Half Moon Bay and Los Osos, California, and Mixtiles USA d/b/a EasyPlant, a multinational plant retailer.
Nearly 50 employees experienced repeated wage violations between 2022 and late 2025, according to the complaint. About two dozen workers were not paid for full pay periods of work performed in November and December 2025, including hours worked leading up to Black Friday and the December holidays. One worker told a journalist that workers found themselves without pay "right when it's Christmas, [when we] have to pay the rent and buy presents for our kids."
County Attorney John Nibbelin said: "When an employer accepts a worker's labor, they take on a clear legal duty: pay that employee fully and lawfully." The case is part of a broader initiative through the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement to strengthen enforcement of workers' rights laws throughout San Mateo County. The complaint seeks back wages, damages, and civil penalties. The case is People of the State of California v. Cal Coast Orchids, LLC, et al., San Mateo County Superior Court, Case No. 26-CIV-06206.