California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law establishing a $19.75 hourly minimum wage for certain farmworkers beginning in 2027, as the Trump administration faces a federal court deadline to replace its rules governing agricultural guest worker pay.
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2646 on September 30, 2026, creating a higher wage floor for foreign seasonal agricultural workers and California residents performing comparable jobs. The legislation, introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Maggy Krell of Sacramento, takes effect January 1, 2027, and applies to employees covered by specified temporary agricultural hiring programs, including the federal H-2A visa system.
The $19.75 base rate is $2.85 above California's current statewide minimum wage of $16.90, which will rise to $17.40 in January. The agricultural rate will receive an annual adjustment tied to the Social Security cost-of-living increase, beginning January 1, 2027, meaning the initial required wage could exceed $19.75.
Under the law, covered workers include agricultural employees living outside California who are approved for temporary or seasonal employment through designated state hiring procedures. California residents performing the same or substantially similar work for the same employer, in the same county and during the same period, also qualify. That definition extends state wage protections to some domestic employees beyond those covered by federal H-2A rules.
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