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# See’s Candies Agrees to $142,800 California Pay-Data Settlement
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-california-sees-candies-pay-data-settlement-20261022/
- Published: 2026-10-22T14:10:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T14:10:25.000Z
- Description: See’s Candies will pay $142,800 after California alleged the company filed 2024 and 2025 workforce pay reports after state deadlines.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: Business, California

California’s Civil Rights Department says See’s Candies Inc. will pay $142,800 to resolve allegations that the company filed two years of required workforce pay reports after state deadlines.

The department’s October 21 [settlement release](https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/2026/10/21/sees-candies-settles-with-state-over-alleged-failure-to-timely-report-pay-and-demographic-data/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) says the late submissions covered reporting years 2024 and 2025\. See’s also agreed to submit future reports on time and to make them complete and accurate, according to the agency.

The resolution concerns compliance with California’s reporting system. The state announcement does not say the late filings, by themselves, establish that See’s paid workers unequally or committed employment discrimination. Pay-data reports are designed to help regulators and employers identify patterns that may warrant closer examination.

## What large employers must report

California requires covered private employers to submit annual workforce information to the Civil Rights Department. Current [state guidance](https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2026/01/2025%5FCalifornia%5FPay%5FData%5FReporting%5FFAQ.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com) says the payroll reporting duty generally applies to a private employer with at least 100 payroll employees when at least one employee works in California.

The threshold can be met either during an employer-selected snapshot period or when the business regularly employs at least 100 people during the reporting year. Seasonal employers may therefore qualify even when their workforce is not continuously above that level.

Reports cover workforce pay and demographic information organized by establishment and job category. The agency says the system is intended to encourage employer self-assessment, promote voluntary compliance with equal-pay and anti-discrimination laws, and improve enforcement of civil-rights protections.

For reporting year 2025, the state opened its portal in February and set a May 13, 2026 filing deadline. The previous reporting window required 2024 data by May 14, 2025\. The settlement announcement says See’s submitted both reports late, although the agency did not state the filing dates or provide a public breakdown of how it calculated the $142,800 payment.

CRD Director Kevin Kish characterized the agreement as a quick resolution and said the company’s future-reporting commitment showed an effort to correct the problem. That is the agency’s assessment; the public announcement does not include a separate statement from See’s or describe any admission of discriminatory pay practices.

## Statewide data have limits

The department’s [results portal](https://pdr.calcivilrights.ca.gov/s/pay-data-results?ref=theamericanquorum.com) publishes aggregated statewide figures for reporting years 2020 through 2024\. The portal says its estimates exclude public employers, companies with fewer than 100 employees, labor-contractor workers and some California employees assigned to out-of-state establishments.

Those limits matter when interpreting the figures: the data do not represent California’s entire workforce, and confidentiality checks can suppress details that might identify workers. The reporting program is a compliance and analytical tool, not a public finding that every observed pay difference is unlawful.

The department says it uses the filings to identify wage patterns and to focus enforcement resources. Employers can also use their own reports to compare pay across job categories and demographic groups before a dispute or enforcement action arises.

The state release says Associate Chief Counsel Amy Moolin Cu secured the See’s agreement. The American Quorum has not independently obtained a response from See’s about the settlement.

*Feature image: AI-generated conceptual illustration.*