I got a word of mouth confirmation to start job. I paid for paint, materials, and labor. I have not got a single payment.
A California Contractor needs to have a contractor's license issued by the CSLB in order to file a mechanics lien based upon non-payment of labor and materials.
Depends on the amount of the job. A contractor's license is not required as long as you don't advertise yourself as a licensed contractor and the job cost is less than $500, including labor and materials. So if the value of the project was $499.99 or less you could record a lien for that amount. As a practical matter, because of the cost to forclose the lien, liens on projects with this low of a value usually do not make sense.