For years, Lars Viklund invested in his community by revitalizing small but historic hotels, including the Del Marcos Hotel in Palm Springs. The 17-room establishment even had its Class 1 historic site designation made official by the Palm Springs City Council in 2012. All of his properties are on the smaller side — typically between 10-18 rooms. But they each employ dozens of staff members who rely on the hotels for their livelihood. Thanks to the financial strain of a PAGA lawsuit, Lars wasn’t able to provide raises to his employees. In fact, he was forced to lay some employees off just to cover the business’ attorney’s fees.