Liens: harvested crops.

Senator McNerney's agricultural labor protection measure expands California's crop lien provisions by removing the requirement that harvested crops or farm products must be owned by a limited partnership for workers to secure liens for unpaid wages. The current law allows agricultural workers to place liens on harvested crops, farm products, or their sale proceeds for up to two weeks of unpaid labor, but only when the products are owned by limited partnerships.

Under the amended provisions, workers who harvest or transport agricultural products could secure liens regardless of the owner's business structure. The existing framework for these liens remains unchanged - they attach from the start of work, take priority over other claims, and are capped at 25% of the products' fair market value or sale proceeds. Owners retain the option to avoid liens by providing the Labor Commissioner with a surety bond guaranteeing wage payments.

The measure maintains protections for buyers in the ordinary course of business, who take ownership free of any liens even when aware of their existence. This provision helps preserve normal commercial transactions while expanding wage security mechanisms across California's agricultural sector.