California showed progress with PAGA — now let’s do the same for ADA

When California enacted the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) in 2004, it was set up as a way to help workers enforce labor laws when state regulators lacked the resources needed to do it themselves. But over time, the application of this law drifted far away from its original purpose. Instead of focusing on serious violations that harmed employees, PAGA was increasingly used as a cause of action to sue over minor, technical mistakes, like a typo on a pay stub. What began as a well-meaning enforcement tool turned into a lucrative business model for trial lawyers, who filed cases in bulk, often forcing employees into quick settlements. The result? Trial lawyers walked away with millions, while the hard-working employees the law was meant to protect saw small checks and no meaningful chan