Maria Cristina Molteni's Legal Cases (2)

Employment and labor

Palm Springs Promenade, LLC v. Department of Industrial Relations

Jun 13, 2025

OUTCOME: Court of Appeal affirmed trial court decision, as requested

"As an issue of first impression, we must decide whether a construction project is a 'municipal affair' of a charter city pursuant to Section 5(a) if the charter city contributes local funds for the ... construction of public improvements within a private development—a project in which the developer selects the contractors, then itself enters into construction contracts that pay workers less than prevailing wages; and postconstruction, owns and manages the bulk of the development. We hold that where the charter city contributes money to a private development project, that undertaking does not necessarily transform the project into a municipal affair."

Employment and labor

Cinema West, LLC v. Baker et al.

Jun 30, 2017

OUTCOME: Court of Appeal affirmed trial court decision, as requested

“This appeal concerns whether the construction of a movie theater built by Cinema West, LLC in Hesperia, California qualifies as a “public work” within the meaning of California’s prevailing wage law ( ... Lab. Code, §§ 1720–18611) (the PWL), which provides that, with certain exceptions, the prevailing wage “shall be paid to all workers employed on public works.” (§ 1771.) In administrative proceedings initiated by a labor union, respondent Christine Baker, Director of the State Department of Industrial Relations (Director), concluded that it did. Cinema West filed a petition for writ of mandate challenging the Director’s decision, which the superior court denied. This appeal followed. Applying substantial evidence review to the superior court’s factual findings and de novo review to its application of the PWL to the facts, we find no error and therefore affirm.”

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