Central Valley Farmworkers Learning New Skills For Changing Agriculture Environment

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, May 29, 2024: 

• In March, the country’s largest stone fruit producer laid off thousands of workers in the San Joaquin Valley. The announcement came months after Fresno-based Prima Wawona declared bankruptcy. The collapse has left many in the Central Valley wondering how prepared the workforce is for industry disruptions.
• A proposal that would have required schools to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender has failed to qualify for the November ballot. The bill comes as a handful of school districts across the state have approved similar policies. 
• Efforts to halt the use of toxic chemicals in the protective equipment used by firefighters are gaining ground in California at the state and local level. The clothes that firefighters wear are made water and oil resistant with PFAS, cancer-causing “forever chemicals” that have strong molecular bonds that don’t easily break down.
• The Catholic Diocese of Fresno plans to file a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August to resolve more than 150 claims of abuse by clergy. The Diocese said in a statement it believes the vast majority of alleged sexual abuse occurred prior to reforms the church made in 2002.

California Farmworkers Are Learning Skills For A New Future

 In March, the country’s largest stone fruit producer laid off thousands of workers in the San Joaquin Valley. The layoffs came months after the Fresno-based company, Prima Wawona, declared bankruptcy and began selling off its land to bidders.

The collapse of such a giant operation sparked a major question about the labor force that fuels California’s $50 billion agricultural industry – are workers prepared for more industry disruptions?

Initiative Targeting Transgender Youth Fails To Qualify For November Ballot

Organizers behind a proposal that would have required schools to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender said they’ve failed to collect enough signatures for the measure to be placed on the November ballot.

The measure also called for a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. A handful of school districts across the state have already passed policies that required staff to out transgender students. 

Bill That Would Ban Toxic Chemicals In Firefighter Gear Advances In Sacramento

Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals known as PFAs are used in protective gear used by firefighters in California. 

But legislation introduced by San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney would look for alternatives in clothing. The bill has just passed the state Senate.

Catholic Diocese Of Fresno To Seek Bankruptcy

The Catholic Diocese of Fresno announced Tuesday it plans to file a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August to resolve more than 150 claims of abuse by clergy.

The sudden announcement came amid mounting claims of abuse – 154 in total – which Bishop Joseph Brennan criticized harshly in a statement as “sins committed by individual clergy and a smaller number of the laity in the Diocese.”