CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SANTA ANA : State Officials Raid Alleged Sweatshops

State labor and safety officials raided more than 70 sewing shops and issued more than $63,000 in fines this week in one of the largest raids on suspected sweatshops in Orange County. The sweep was aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders by making surprise inspections of garment factories that have been cited before for wage, hour, child-labor or record-keeping violations. “We want to make sure they know we’re serious, and not just think that we issue a citation, they pay, and we forget the whole thing,” said Senior Labor Deputy Phil Galvez. Tuesday’s inspections centered on Garden Grove, Westminster, Santa Ana and Huntington Beach.