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"content": "\u003cp>Community leaders in the Half Moon Bay area are hoping to create more cooperatively-owned farms and housing, improving living and working conditions for struggling farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The push, by Mayor Joaquin Jimenez and San Mateo County officials, comes a year \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">after seven workers were gunned down\u003c/a> on two mushroom farms in the quiet, coastal community 30 miles south of San Francisco. The tragedy exposed deplorable conditions at the two sites, where workers lived in sheds and other makeshift housing that had no running water or insulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to understand that our farmworkers still need a lot of help, housing, health care, better wages, safe working conditions, safe living conditions, and that’s part of the healing,” Jimenez told KQED at a recent memorial ceremony. “Farmworkers are struggling.”[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Joaquin Jimenez, Half Moon Bay mayor\"]‘Owning their own crop, owning their own business is the opportunity for farmworkers to be successful and become farmers.’[/pullquote]The son and grandson of farmworkers, Jimenez, spent decades in various roles advocating for better wages and living conditions for the region’s often-overlooked agricultural workers. He said that after the shooting, he realized much more needed to be done for them, and faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before becoming the first Mexican immigrant to serve as mayor of Half Moon Bay, Jimenez was instrumental in helping to launch \u003ca href=\"https://www.hmbreview.com/news/co-op-plants-opportunities-for-farmworkers/article_229f9136-7946-11ec-b1d0-1f79501ec0a3.html\">Rancho San Benito\u003c/a>, a farmworker co-op in Half Moon Bay that broke ground roughly five years ago and is still being developed. Funded largely through the county, the operation now has around 10 members who grow their own crops on more than 70 acres of leased land. The project also aims to offer classes to participants about business, land management and sustainability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Owning their own crop, owning their own business is the opportunity for farmworkers to be successful and become farmers,” Jimenez said. “We’re going to be offering education and training for community members to be an entrepreneur to run their business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The collective — or “co-op” — farming model is hardly a new idea in California. More than 200 agricultural co-ops, big and small, operate throughout the state — including a number of major brands like Sunkist and Blue Diamond, according to the California Center for Cooperative Development. Nationwide, there are more than 4,000 such enterprises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooperatives can offer farmers more market power by allowing members to collectively sell their crops and earn direct profits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11975286\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11975286\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A man stands, back to camera, in a verdant field watching a tractor tilling the land.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1639\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-800x512.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-1020x653.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-1536x984.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-2048x1312.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-1920x1230.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joaquin Jimenez (foreground) watches as farm manager Serafin Avila tills a field at Rancho San Benito, in Half Moon Bay, on Jan. 24, 2022. \u003ccite>(Sarah Gearen/Kitchen Table Advisors)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But in California, where available farmland is scarce and expensive, it can be extremely difficult for lower-income farmworkers to get cooperatives off the ground, said Keith Taylor, a UC Davis professor who studies community economic development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farmworkers seeking to start their own cooperatives often have very limited access to capital, Taylor said. “The United States notoriously has really substandard cooperative laws and support structures, especially for worker cooperatives,” he added. “When you go to lenders, they’re used to the standard kind of farmer-owned model, a standalone family corporation kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aldo de la Mora, an agriculture cooperatives specialist with the California Center for Cooperative Development, is helping to spread the word about Rancho San Benito and recruit more farmworkers to participate.[aside label=\"more on Half Moon Bay\" tag=\"half-moon-bay\"]While there is plenty of community interest in the model, de la Mora said finding and purchasing land has been the biggest roadblock to getting Rancho San Benito and other co-ops started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also difficult, he said, for many of the farmworkers who could benefit from the program to take time away from their daily jobs to meaningfully participate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of my meetings are literally in the field. They will be working, and I will try to ask questions and organize phone calls. It’s very challenging,” de la Mora said. “It takes a long time, but that’s what this work is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, as part of a separate initiative, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/half-moon-bay-farmworkers-housing-co-op/14303504/\">voted to purchase a 50-acre lot\u003c/a> in Half Moon Bay for $9 million, with the intention of building farmworker housing and a co-op center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County leaders, who have not yet purchased the land, said they hope to develop at least 100 housing units at the site, which was formerly a plant nursery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The co-op center could also boost the local agricultural industry, which officials say is struggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Local agriculture has declined significantly in the last 10 years,” San Mateo Supervisor Ray Mueller said. “We’re looking at building an agricultural co-op distribution center that can help bring products to market. We’re doing all of that to lift up the agricultural economy, which in turn will also lift up and support the lives of our hard workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Jimenez said the state and federal government must also do more to address the poverty and disempowerment that afflict many farmworkers in this country, and that can lead to the type of workplace violence that is believed to have fueled last year’s tragedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, California farmworkers earned an average hourly wage of $16.72 and an annual income of just $34,790, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes452092.htm\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of all farmworkers in the state are believed to be undocumented. And faced with the threat of deportation, many likely receive wages well below the state-required minimum and are subjected to subpar working and living conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to recognize our farming industry is in the hands of our farmworkers. They are our future,” Jimenez said. “I hope that here on the coast, we can begin to make a dent for our farmworkers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Annelise Finney contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "In Wake of Tragedy, Half Moon Bay Leaders Push Cooperative Farming Model for Farmworkers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Community leaders in the Half Moon Bay area are hoping to create more cooperatively-owned farms and housing, improving living and working conditions for struggling farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The push, by Mayor Joaquin Jimenez and San Mateo County officials, comes a year \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">after seven workers were gunned down\u003c/a> on two mushroom farms in the quiet, coastal community 30 miles south of San Francisco. The tragedy exposed deplorable conditions at the two sites, where workers lived in sheds and other makeshift housing that had no running water or insulation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to understand that our farmworkers still need a lot of help, housing, health care, better wages, safe working conditions, safe living conditions, and that’s part of the healing,” Jimenez told KQED at a recent memorial ceremony. “Farmworkers are struggling.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Owning their own crop, owning their own business is the opportunity for farmworkers to be successful and become farmers.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The son and grandson of farmworkers, Jimenez, spent decades in various roles advocating for better wages and living conditions for the region’s often-overlooked agricultural workers. He said that after the shooting, he realized much more needed to be done for them, and faster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before becoming the first Mexican immigrant to serve as mayor of Half Moon Bay, Jimenez was instrumental in helping to launch \u003ca href=\"https://www.hmbreview.com/news/co-op-plants-opportunities-for-farmworkers/article_229f9136-7946-11ec-b1d0-1f79501ec0a3.html\">Rancho San Benito\u003c/a>, a farmworker co-op in Half Moon Bay that broke ground roughly five years ago and is still being developed. Funded largely through the county, the operation now has around 10 members who grow their own crops on more than 70 acres of leased land. The project also aims to offer classes to participants about business, land management and sustainability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Owning their own crop, owning their own business is the opportunity for farmworkers to be successful and become farmers,” Jimenez said. “We’re going to be offering education and training for community members to be an entrepreneur to run their business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The collective — or “co-op” — farming model is hardly a new idea in California. More than 200 agricultural co-ops, big and small, operate throughout the state — including a number of major brands like Sunkist and Blue Diamond, according to the California Center for Cooperative Development. Nationwide, there are more than 4,000 such enterprises.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooperatives can offer farmers more market power by allowing members to collectively sell their crops and earn direct profits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11975286\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11975286\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A man stands, back to camera, in a verdant field watching a tractor tilling the land.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1639\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-800x512.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-1020x653.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-1536x984.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-2048x1312.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/IMG_83131-copy-1920x1230.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joaquin Jimenez (foreground) watches as farm manager Serafin Avila tills a field at Rancho San Benito, in Half Moon Bay, on Jan. 24, 2022. \u003ccite>(Sarah Gearen/Kitchen Table Advisors)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But in California, where available farmland is scarce and expensive, it can be extremely difficult for lower-income farmworkers to get cooperatives off the ground, said Keith Taylor, a UC Davis professor who studies community economic development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farmworkers seeking to start their own cooperatives often have very limited access to capital, Taylor said. “The United States notoriously has really substandard cooperative laws and support structures, especially for worker cooperatives,” he added. “When you go to lenders, they’re used to the standard kind of farmer-owned model, a standalone family corporation kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aldo de la Mora, an agriculture cooperatives specialist with the California Center for Cooperative Development, is helping to spread the word about Rancho San Benito and recruit more farmworkers to participate.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>While there is plenty of community interest in the model, de la Mora said finding and purchasing land has been the biggest roadblock to getting Rancho San Benito and other co-ops started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also difficult, he said, for many of the farmworkers who could benefit from the program to take time away from their daily jobs to meaningfully participate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of my meetings are literally in the field. They will be working, and I will try to ask questions and organize phone calls. It’s very challenging,” de la Mora said. “It takes a long time, but that’s what this work is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, as part of a separate initiative, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/half-moon-bay-farmworkers-housing-co-op/14303504/\">voted to purchase a 50-acre lot\u003c/a> in Half Moon Bay for $9 million, with the intention of building farmworker housing and a co-op center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>County leaders, who have not yet purchased the land, said they hope to develop at least 100 housing units at the site, which was formerly a plant nursery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The co-op center could also boost the local agricultural industry, which officials say is struggling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Local agriculture has declined significantly in the last 10 years,” San Mateo Supervisor Ray Mueller said. “We’re looking at building an agricultural co-op distribution center that can help bring products to market. We’re doing all of that to lift up the agricultural economy, which in turn will also lift up and support the lives of our hard workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayor Jimenez said the state and federal government must also do more to address the poverty and disempowerment that afflict many farmworkers in this country, and that can lead to the type of workplace violence that is believed to have fueled last year’s tragedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, California farmworkers earned an average hourly wage of $16.72 and an annual income of just $34,790, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes452092.htm\">Bureau of Labor Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of all farmworkers in the state are believed to be undocumented. And faced with the threat of deportation, many likely receive wages well below the state-required minimum and are subjected to subpar working and living conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to recognize our farming industry is in the hands of our farmworkers. They are our future,” Jimenez said. “I hope that here on the coast, we can begin to make a dent for our farmworkers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Annelise Finney contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>One of the two businesses where seven farmworkers were fatally shot last year in Half Moon Bay has paid more than $126,000 for workplace violations uncovered after the mass shooting, the U.S. Department of Labor confirmed to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Terra Garden paid $84,000 in back wages and $42,500 in penalties assessed under federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/agriculture/mspa\">protections\u003c/a> covering migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. This is in addition to a separate $150,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">settlement paid\u003c/a> by the business to the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, according to a spokesperson for the agency. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Alberto Raymond, assistant district director, U.S. Department of Labor San José Office\"]‘The Department of Labor will enforce laws that protect all workers, particularly vulnerable workers. And will put every effort to seek justice, to level the playing field.’[/pullquote]A Department of Labor investigation into the second site where the back-to-back shootings occurred, Concord Farms, is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A team of investigators found California Terra Garden charged dozens of farmworkers to live in “deplorable” housing on-site and failed to notify them in writing about the terms of their employment as required, said Alberto Raymond, assistant district director at the agency’s San José office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Department of Labor will enforce laws that protect all workers, particularly vulnerable workers,” Raymond told KQED. “And will put every effort to seek justice, to level the playing field.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Terra Garden made the full payment to the Department of Labor last summer. The agency has been working to track down 39 workers who are eligible for restitution over two years, according to Raymond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attempts to reach California Terra Garden representatives for comment were unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, who has helped the county take steps to support wage theft victims and to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">start developing\u003c/a> more affordable housing units for agricultural workers, welcomed the news. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller\"]‘The enforcement and recovery work by the U.S. Department of Labor is another step toward justice for the families affected by the tragedy in Half Moon Bay.’[/pullquote]“The enforcement and recovery work by the U.S. Department of Labor is another step toward justice for the families affected by the tragedy in Half Moon Bay,” Mueller said in a statement. “On the county level, we are making active strides to ensure a safe and healthy future for all agricultural workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deemed an extreme case of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11939361/im-afraid-half-moon-bay-shootings-may-have-been-extreme-case-of-workplace-violence\">workplace violence\u003c/a>, the murders on Jan. 23, 2023, at the two mushroom farms exposed very low wages and substandard housing conditions for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day after the shooting, Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters that the farmworkers lived in “shipping containers” and earned only $9 an hour, far below California’s minimum wage. State and county officials vowed to investigate. [aside label='More on Half Moon Bay' tag='half-moon-bay']One year later, California workplace regulators \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">accused\u003c/a> the two farm employers of various \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-46.html\">safety\u003c/a> and labor law violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A criminal grand jury indicted the alleged gunman, Chunli Zhao, with seven counts of murder, among other charges. The judge in the case scheduled an arraignment for later this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zhao allegedly shot five people at California Terra Garden, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11966741/culture-cures-accordion-classes-for-half-moon-bay-farmworkers-offer-healing-through-music\">one of whom survived\u003c/a>. The former forklift operator, 66 at the time of the attacks, then shot and killed three more people at nearby Concord Farms, where he used to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers can check if they are owed wages by searching the Department of Labor’s \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/QLyCC5yWjXS6RzNRuz34vp?domain=webapps.dol.gov\">Workers Owed Wages website\u003c/a>, said an agency spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can also call a toll-free helpline at 1-866-487-9243 or contact the \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/3E5MC680k4syMgwMS6yUM6?domain=dol.gov\">local office\u003c/a> where the case was managed. The California Terra Garden case was handled by the department’s Walnut Creek Area office at 415-625-7720.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California Terra Garden paid $84,000 in back wages and $42,500 in penalties under federal protections for agricultural workers. A Department of Labor investigation into Concord Farms, the second site of consecutive shootings, is ongoing.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>One of the two businesses where seven farmworkers were fatally shot last year in Half Moon Bay has paid more than $126,000 for workplace violations uncovered after the mass shooting, the U.S. Department of Labor confirmed to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Terra Garden paid $84,000 in back wages and $42,500 in penalties assessed under federal \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/agriculture/mspa\">protections\u003c/a> covering migrant and seasonal agricultural workers. This is in addition to a separate $150,000 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">settlement paid\u003c/a> by the business to the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, according to a spokesperson for the agency. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>A Department of Labor investigation into the second site where the back-to-back shootings occurred, Concord Farms, is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A team of investigators found California Terra Garden charged dozens of farmworkers to live in “deplorable” housing on-site and failed to notify them in writing about the terms of their employment as required, said Alberto Raymond, assistant district director at the agency’s San José office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Department of Labor will enforce laws that protect all workers, particularly vulnerable workers,” Raymond told KQED. “And will put every effort to seek justice, to level the playing field.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Terra Garden made the full payment to the Department of Labor last summer. The agency has been working to track down 39 workers who are eligible for restitution over two years, according to Raymond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Attempts to reach California Terra Garden representatives for comment were unsuccessful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, who has helped the county take steps to support wage theft victims and to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">start developing\u003c/a> more affordable housing units for agricultural workers, welcomed the news. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The enforcement and recovery work by the U.S. Department of Labor is another step toward justice for the families affected by the tragedy in Half Moon Bay,” Mueller said in a statement. “On the county level, we are making active strides to ensure a safe and healthy future for all agricultural workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deemed an extreme case of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11939361/im-afraid-half-moon-bay-shootings-may-have-been-extreme-case-of-workplace-violence\">workplace violence\u003c/a>, the murders on Jan. 23, 2023, at the two mushroom farms exposed very low wages and substandard housing conditions for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day after the shooting, Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters that the farmworkers lived in “shipping containers” and earned only $9 an hour, far below California’s minimum wage. State and county officials vowed to investigate. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>One year later, California workplace regulators \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11973396/half-moon-bay-commemorates-1-year-anniversary-of-mass-shooting-that-killed-7\">accused\u003c/a> the two farm employers of various \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-46.html\">safety\u003c/a> and labor law violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A criminal grand jury indicted the alleged gunman, Chunli Zhao, with seven counts of murder, among other charges. The judge in the case scheduled an arraignment for later this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zhao allegedly shot five people at California Terra Garden, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11966741/culture-cures-accordion-classes-for-half-moon-bay-farmworkers-offer-healing-through-music\">one of whom survived\u003c/a>. The former forklift operator, 66 at the time of the attacks, then shot and killed three more people at nearby Concord Farms, where he used to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers can check if they are owed wages by searching the Department of Labor’s \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/QLyCC5yWjXS6RzNRuz34vp?domain=webapps.dol.gov\">Workers Owed Wages website\u003c/a>, said an agency spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can also call a toll-free helpline at 1-866-487-9243 or contact the \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/3E5MC680k4syMgwMS6yUM6?domain=dol.gov\">local office\u003c/a> where the case was managed. The California Terra Garden case was handled by the department’s Walnut Creek Area office at 415-625-7720.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How a Mass Shooting Changed Half Moon Bay, One Year Later",
"headTitle": "How a Mass Shooting Changed Half Moon Bay, One Year Later | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A year ago this Tuesday, a gunman entered two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay and killed 7 farmworkers — all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The shooting brought attention to the living and working conditions of farmworkers in Half Moon Bay and across the state. State and local officials promised to do something about it. So, what’s changed?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC7993594061&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>Good morning everyone. I just wanted to, take a moment to also honor the victims and the surviving families of the hacking Bay shooting, and I just wanted to take a couple moments to, say their names, and I’m going to do the best I can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This week, Half Moon Bay commemorated one year since a gunman killed seven farm workers, all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>So their names are getting Zi Chung Chen, Zetian, Leia, zinc, Shu, lo I Ching, Jose Romero Perez, Marciano Martinez Jiminez, and Pedro Ramiro Perez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The shooting took place at two farms in the small coastal town. Concord Farms and California Terror Garden, and it laid bare the poor living and working conditions of farm workers in Half Moon Bay at the time. State and local officials vowed to do something about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>Some of you should see where these folks are living. The conditions they’re. Living in. Shipping containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So today, we take you back to Half Moon Bay. One year after the shooting, to see how the community has been changed by the tragedy and what’s been done to improve the lives of farm workers. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>Everyone. My name is Ting Lu, and I’m honored to be here today on behalf of the white House. I work in the white House.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>I went to, this sort of gathering by state and federal and local officials with community members, farm workers and people directly affected by the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Farida Jhabvala Romero is a labor correspondent for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Former presidential candidate Julian Castro and the former, you know, US housing secretary. Was there representatives from the governor’s office? Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, whose district includes Half Moon Bay. So this was one of, you know, several events to commemorate the first anniversary of the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>He was like a second dad to me. I of course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>These are folks who have gone through so much in the last year. One of them was Marisela Martinez, whose uncle Marciano was killed at the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>Took my seat. It’s like watching English. I just called him my Tio Martian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She, you know, just stood up and took the mic and spoke about about her uncle and that they had talked often, that Marciano had been sending money to, his relatives there to build a house like so many, you know, immigrants in the US. Do, you know, to support their families back in their home countries?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>My uncle would always tell me that, like, if I ever went to Mexico that I could in his house, and that hopefully one day he was going to be able to go with me and show me the home in which my dad and him and all of his family grew up and.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And how she had to travel there for the first time to bury Marciano instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>As my uncles were carrying my uncle’s casket. That’s when it all hit me. I was walking, and then I just had the sudden realization that this was not okay. This should not have happened. This is not the way that my uncle and I were supposed to go back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Another farm worker who was there is Pedro Romero, who survived the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>He was injured. Survived. His brother Jose did not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>He told everyone gathered there, all the local and federal officials that, you know, he’s still really sad that he thinks so much about this tragedy and that his brother is no longer there with him. And he said, Jose left three kids who need help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>When the shooting happened, there was this huge focus on how what had happened had really revealed these working conditions, these housing conditions of farmworkers, not just in Half Moon Bay, but in California more broadly. But can you remind us how people responded at the time, especially public officials in the immediate aftermath of the shooting?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>You know, I remember all the TV cameras flooding down and other journalists as well, you know, and also elected officials, the highest people in office in the state, like Governor Gavin Newsom. And I remember the governor on live TV speaking about how some of these workers had been making $9 an hour, which is way below minimum wage in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>And by the way, some of you should see where these folks are. Living conditions. They’re. Living in shipping containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>You just talked about some of these really substandard, living and working conditions for people there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>No health care, no support, no services, but taking care of our health, providing a service to each and every one of us every single day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And so after that, you know, there was a lot of attention on those issues. People really promised to, to create change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, you mentioned two really big issues here that were highlighted by the shooting housing, but also workplace conditions for these farmworkers. So since the shooting, I know that state and local regulators have been investigating the working conditions on some of these farms in Half Moon Bay. What’s happened since then? What is the status of those investigations now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So there are a number of investigations by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office by state agencies at the two farms, Concord Farms and then California Terra Garden. Carlo Shire cited Concord Farms for $51,000 for workplace safety violations. Of course, Carlos is the agency that regulates worker safety. And then they also cited California Terror Garden for about $114,000, for a total of dozens of violations that inspectors found at these two farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>But those cases are still open, and the farms haven’t paid the amount of the citations yet. Then there’s the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which investigates labor law violations, you know, potential wage theft. And so that agency cited California Terror Garden as well for violations related to paid sick laws. And that business settled for about $150,000. We should also note that successor business at that same site where California Terror Garden was, which is now called Lee and Sun Mushroom Farm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>That business was also cited, including for minimum wage violations under San Mateo minimum wage laws, which are actually higher than for the state. So that’s sort of where those investigations are at. But it sounds like there may be more citations and charges, sort of proposed penalties coming both from the state and the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, that’s sort of the accountability part of this Farida. But what about support for the farm workers since the shooting? Who’s been taking the lead on that in Half Moon Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Well, there’s a couple of nonprofit organizations that have been really visible through this whole ordeal for people in Half Moon Bay. One is at usando, at Latinos lasagna. It’s known as Alice. They’ve really been a connector with the farm working community. And then we see a lot of movement at the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray Mueller: \u003c/strong>The county and the community. City, a Half Moon Bay, really rallied together, in the days and months following the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Supervisor Ray Mueller told me that right after the shooting, he committed to try to do whatever he could.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray Mueller: \u003c/strong>To go to the site to see how those families were living. Really? When I saw it. I wanted to make sure that no one could look away from it. And since that time, the county really has worked very hard, to address those issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>They recently approved the purchase of a 50 acre plot of land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray Mueller: \u003c/strong>But we also have other sites. We’re building 46 units of farmworker housing, on 18 of which are being set aside for victims of the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>He also pushed and, you know, got approved and new Office of Labor Standards Enforcement in San Mateo County that will start helping all workers be able to file claims with the state labor Commissioner’s office and also really take on education for employers about their obligations under under the laws, but also for workers about their rights. Those are important things, you know, that are ongoing as well, that they’re taking off in the county. And that really came out as a result of this, of this shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, how advocates and farmworkers in Half Moon Bay are feeling about what’s been done so far. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I am, I have to say, surprised a little bit, Frida, by how much it seems like it is happening in San Mateo County as a result of this shooting. But I do wonder how people are feeling. I mean, especially the farmworkers directly affected by this shooting. Do they feel like they’re getting the help that they need?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Well, like we mentioned, Pedro Romero, for example. I mean, he said he was grateful for housing assistance, but, you know, that funding is set to run out soon. And, they’re wondering what they’re going to do. There’s a lot of hope, you know, for all of these projects and things that are happening, but they’re going to take a long time to really create the change that everybody can see and that they could actually use, you know, by moving into one of these housing units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>So it’s unclear what’s going to happen in the meantime. I will say that one point of positiveness in this whole thing is that, I mean, the community says that they’re committed to continuing helping them. So hopefully we’ll see some other ways that they find to do that. But at this point it’s uncertain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And and I guess how can you move on when there are these investigations still ongoing and and still open? And I know you spoke with someone from United Farm Workers about this. Can you tell me about Antonio and how he feels about how these investigations are still going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So Antonio De Loera directs communications for the United Farm Workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Antonio De Loera: \u003c/strong>And what’s been so dispiriting, perhaps, on this first anniversary is how quickly it feels like we went back to normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>With even such a high profile case. You see some of the issues that bogged down investigations into wage theft or workplace safety issues and other parts of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Antonio De Loera: \u003c/strong>I think if the anniversary of Half Moon Bay is about anything, it’s about, we need to notice farmworkers all the time, not just when something horrible is in the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And, you know, mind you. Many agricultural workers don’t want to come forward and talk about some of the problems at their worksite because they’re afraid of losing their their job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Antonio De Loera: \u003c/strong>You multiply that across the whole state, where if we can’t get accountability for a case that was this public that had this much attention from the highest elected officials in the state of California, what does that say about what’s happening in the rest of California?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And then there’s the housing element of this, right? Frida, which, as we all know, takes forever to build in California. How do people feel about how that’s going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, all of these projects are going to take, you know, several years to complete if they come to completion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And then a Rocio Avila has lived in Half Moon Bay for many, many years. She has three children in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She’s one of the people who were really just shocked at learning wait, after the shooting and after everyone says, you know, they’re really going to focus on building more affordable housing. It’s going to take how many years?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She told me a little bit about her situation, and she said she’s sharing an apartment with her brothers and their families and her family. And so her husband, her and her three kids sleep in one room with her oldest girl, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and then everyone else sharing a queen size bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>For her. Like many other people in the community, this this shooting sort of steeled their resolve to make sure that these changes happen. And so Rocio Avila has taken it upon herself to be in attendance at every supervisor meeting. And she’s also part of vigils, regular vigils and marches for affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>I think it’s also a realization on her part that what she said is that her voice matters and she wants to, you know, help other people in the community to also speak up about what they’re seeing in terms of housing. You know, when people get evicted, the problems that they’re facing, so that elected representatives take note and can do something about it as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it’s it seems like based on your conversations with people in Half Moon Bay a year later, it seems like folks are still very much reeling from this shooting, but also are feeling very fired up and much more active politically in the community. Is is that fair to say?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I think that’s fair to say for definitely, you know, many agricultural workers and other people who weren’t feeling as united and motivated to be part of these conversations and, and make sure that these promises of more affordable housing, better conditions at work, that they really become a reality. And I think, you know, there’s a lot of hope in the community as well, because people are finding that at least in their personal lives, they’re taking steps. So that’s that’s definitely a feeling you get from visiting Half Moon Bay these days that, that, that there’s a lot of hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Farida, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Thank you. Ericka. So nice to be here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Farida Jhabvala Romero, a labor correspondent for KQED, on Thursday afternoon, Farida learned that the city and county are working to find more funding to keep survivors and their families housed. Leaders with allies say they’re confident that housing assistance will continue until new housing is built. This 35 minute conversation with Farida was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Monteceillo. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Additional production support from me. Music courtesy of Audio Network. First cut music and Audio Socket. The rest of our podcast team at KQED includes Jen Chien, our director of podcasts, Katie Sprenger, our podcast operations manager, Cesar Saldana, our podcast engagement producer, and Maha Sanad, podcast Engagement Intern. The Bay is a production of member supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A year ago this Tuesday, a gunman entered two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay and killed 7 farmworkers — all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The shooting brought attention to the living and working conditions of farmworkers in Half Moon Bay and across the state. State and local officials promised to do something about it. So, what’s changed?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC7993594061&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and welcome to the Bay. Local news to keep you rooted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>Good morning everyone. I just wanted to, take a moment to also honor the victims and the surviving families of the hacking Bay shooting, and I just wanted to take a couple moments to, say their names, and I’m going to do the best I can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This week, Half Moon Bay commemorated one year since a gunman killed seven farm workers, all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>So their names are getting Zi Chung Chen, Zetian, Leia, zinc, Shu, lo I Ching, Jose Romero Perez, Marciano Martinez Jiminez, and Pedro Ramiro Perez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>The shooting took place at two farms in the small coastal town. Concord Farms and California Terror Garden, and it laid bare the poor living and working conditions of farm workers in Half Moon Bay at the time. State and local officials vowed to do something about it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>Some of you should see where these folks are living. The conditions they’re. Living in. Shipping containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So today, we take you back to Half Moon Bay. One year after the shooting, to see how the community has been changed by the tragedy and what’s been done to improve the lives of farm workers. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Speaker: \u003c/strong>Everyone. My name is Ting Lu, and I’m honored to be here today on behalf of the white House. I work in the white House.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>I went to, this sort of gathering by state and federal and local officials with community members, farm workers and people directly affected by the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Farida Jhabvala Romero is a labor correspondent for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Former presidential candidate Julian Castro and the former, you know, US housing secretary. Was there representatives from the governor’s office? Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, whose district includes Half Moon Bay. So this was one of, you know, several events to commemorate the first anniversary of the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>He was like a second dad to me. I of course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>These are folks who have gone through so much in the last year. One of them was Marisela Martinez, whose uncle Marciano was killed at the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>Took my seat. It’s like watching English. I just called him my Tio Martian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She, you know, just stood up and took the mic and spoke about about her uncle and that they had talked often, that Marciano had been sending money to, his relatives there to build a house like so many, you know, immigrants in the US. Do, you know, to support their families back in their home countries?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>My uncle would always tell me that, like, if I ever went to Mexico that I could in his house, and that hopefully one day he was going to be able to go with me and show me the home in which my dad and him and all of his family grew up and.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And how she had to travel there for the first time to bury Marciano instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marisela Martinez: \u003c/strong>As my uncles were carrying my uncle’s casket. That’s when it all hit me. I was walking, and then I just had the sudden realization that this was not okay. This should not have happened. This is not the way that my uncle and I were supposed to go back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Another farm worker who was there is Pedro Romero, who survived the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>He was injured. Survived. His brother Jose did not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>He told everyone gathered there, all the local and federal officials that, you know, he’s still really sad that he thinks so much about this tragedy and that his brother is no longer there with him. And he said, Jose left three kids who need help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>When the shooting happened, there was this huge focus on how what had happened had really revealed these working conditions, these housing conditions of farmworkers, not just in Half Moon Bay, but in California more broadly. But can you remind us how people responded at the time, especially public officials in the immediate aftermath of the shooting?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>You know, I remember all the TV cameras flooding down and other journalists as well, you know, and also elected officials, the highest people in office in the state, like Governor Gavin Newsom. And I remember the governor on live TV speaking about how some of these workers had been making $9 an hour, which is way below minimum wage in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>And by the way, some of you should see where these folks are. Living conditions. They’re. Living in shipping containers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>You just talked about some of these really substandard, living and working conditions for people there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gavin Newsom: \u003c/strong>No health care, no support, no services, but taking care of our health, providing a service to each and every one of us every single day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And so after that, you know, there was a lot of attention on those issues. People really promised to, to create change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, you mentioned two really big issues here that were highlighted by the shooting housing, but also workplace conditions for these farmworkers. So since the shooting, I know that state and local regulators have been investigating the working conditions on some of these farms in Half Moon Bay. What’s happened since then? What is the status of those investigations now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So there are a number of investigations by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office by state agencies at the two farms, Concord Farms and then California Terra Garden. Carlo Shire cited Concord Farms for $51,000 for workplace safety violations. Of course, Carlos is the agency that regulates worker safety. And then they also cited California Terror Garden for about $114,000, for a total of dozens of violations that inspectors found at these two farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>But those cases are still open, and the farms haven’t paid the amount of the citations yet. Then there’s the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which investigates labor law violations, you know, potential wage theft. And so that agency cited California Terror Garden as well for violations related to paid sick laws. And that business settled for about $150,000. We should also note that successor business at that same site where California Terror Garden was, which is now called Lee and Sun Mushroom Farm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>That business was also cited, including for minimum wage violations under San Mateo minimum wage laws, which are actually higher than for the state. So that’s sort of where those investigations are at. But it sounds like there may be more citations and charges, sort of proposed penalties coming both from the state and the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, that’s sort of the accountability part of this Farida. But what about support for the farm workers since the shooting? Who’s been taking the lead on that in Half Moon Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Well, there’s a couple of nonprofit organizations that have been really visible through this whole ordeal for people in Half Moon Bay. One is at usando, at Latinos lasagna. It’s known as Alice. They’ve really been a connector with the farm working community. And then we see a lot of movement at the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray Mueller: \u003c/strong>The county and the community. City, a Half Moon Bay, really rallied together, in the days and months following the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Supervisor Ray Mueller told me that right after the shooting, he committed to try to do whatever he could.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray Mueller: \u003c/strong>To go to the site to see how those families were living. Really? When I saw it. I wanted to make sure that no one could look away from it. And since that time, the county really has worked very hard, to address those issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>They recently approved the purchase of a 50 acre plot of land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray Mueller: \u003c/strong>But we also have other sites. We’re building 46 units of farmworker housing, on 18 of which are being set aside for victims of the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>He also pushed and, you know, got approved and new Office of Labor Standards Enforcement in San Mateo County that will start helping all workers be able to file claims with the state labor Commissioner’s office and also really take on education for employers about their obligations under under the laws, but also for workers about their rights. Those are important things, you know, that are ongoing as well, that they’re taking off in the county. And that really came out as a result of this, of this shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Coming up, how advocates and farmworkers in Half Moon Bay are feeling about what’s been done so far. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I am, I have to say, surprised a little bit, Frida, by how much it seems like it is happening in San Mateo County as a result of this shooting. But I do wonder how people are feeling. I mean, especially the farmworkers directly affected by this shooting. Do they feel like they’re getting the help that they need?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Well, like we mentioned, Pedro Romero, for example. I mean, he said he was grateful for housing assistance, but, you know, that funding is set to run out soon. And, they’re wondering what they’re going to do. There’s a lot of hope, you know, for all of these projects and things that are happening, but they’re going to take a long time to really create the change that everybody can see and that they could actually use, you know, by moving into one of these housing units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>So it’s unclear what’s going to happen in the meantime. I will say that one point of positiveness in this whole thing is that, I mean, the community says that they’re committed to continuing helping them. So hopefully we’ll see some other ways that they find to do that. But at this point it’s uncertain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Yeah. And and I guess how can you move on when there are these investigations still ongoing and and still open? And I know you spoke with someone from United Farm Workers about this. Can you tell me about Antonio and how he feels about how these investigations are still going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah. So Antonio De Loera directs communications for the United Farm Workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Antonio De Loera: \u003c/strong>And what’s been so dispiriting, perhaps, on this first anniversary is how quickly it feels like we went back to normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>With even such a high profile case. You see some of the issues that bogged down investigations into wage theft or workplace safety issues and other parts of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Antonio De Loera: \u003c/strong>I think if the anniversary of Half Moon Bay is about anything, it’s about, we need to notice farmworkers all the time, not just when something horrible is in the news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And, you know, mind you. Many agricultural workers don’t want to come forward and talk about some of the problems at their worksite because they’re afraid of losing their their job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Antonio De Loera: \u003c/strong>You multiply that across the whole state, where if we can’t get accountability for a case that was this public that had this much attention from the highest elected officials in the state of California, what does that say about what’s happening in the rest of California?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>And then there’s the housing element of this, right? Frida, which, as we all know, takes forever to build in California. How do people feel about how that’s going?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I mean, all of these projects are going to take, you know, several years to complete if they come to completion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>And then a Rocio Avila has lived in Half Moon Bay for many, many years. She has three children in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She’s one of the people who were really just shocked at learning wait, after the shooting and after everyone says, you know, they’re really going to focus on building more affordable housing. It’s going to take how many years?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>She told me a little bit about her situation, and she said she’s sharing an apartment with her brothers and their families and her family. And so her husband, her and her three kids sleep in one room with her oldest girl, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and then everyone else sharing a queen size bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>For her. Like many other people in the community, this this shooting sort of steeled their resolve to make sure that these changes happen. And so Rocio Avila has taken it upon herself to be in attendance at every supervisor meeting. And she’s also part of vigils, regular vigils and marches for affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>I think it’s also a realization on her part that what she said is that her voice matters and she wants to, you know, help other people in the community to also speak up about what they’re seeing in terms of housing. You know, when people get evicted, the problems that they’re facing, so that elected representatives take note and can do something about it as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Rocio Avila: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[speaking spanish]\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, it’s it seems like based on your conversations with people in Half Moon Bay a year later, it seems like folks are still very much reeling from this shooting, but also are feeling very fired up and much more active politically in the community. Is is that fair to say?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Yeah, I think that’s fair to say for definitely, you know, many agricultural workers and other people who weren’t feeling as united and motivated to be part of these conversations and, and make sure that these promises of more affordable housing, better conditions at work, that they really become a reality. And I think, you know, there’s a lot of hope in the community as well, because people are finding that at least in their personal lives, they’re taking steps. So that’s that’s definitely a feeling you get from visiting Half Moon Bay these days that, that, that there’s a lot of hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Farida, thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Farida Jhabvala Romero: \u003c/strong>Thank you. Ericka. So nice to be here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Farida Jhabvala Romero, a labor correspondent for KQED, on Thursday afternoon, Farida learned that the city and county are working to find more funding to keep survivors and their families housed. Leaders with allies say they’re confident that housing assistance will continue until new housing is built. This 35 minute conversation with Farida was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Monteceillo. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Additional production support from me. Music courtesy of Audio Network. First cut music and Audio Socket. The rest of our podcast team at KQED includes Jen Chien, our director of podcasts, Katie Sprenger, our podcast operations manager, Cesar Saldana, our podcast engagement producer, and Maha Sanad, podcast Engagement Intern. The Bay is a production of member supported KQED in San Francisco. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "Half Moon Bay Commemorates 1-Year Anniversary of Mass Shooting That Killed 7",
"headTitle": "Half Moon Bay Commemorates 1-Year Anniversary of Mass Shooting That Killed 7 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 2:15 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents of Half Moon Bay gathered Tuesday to commemorate the first anniversary of a tragic pair of shootings that left seven farmworkers dead, shocking the small oceanfront town and beyond. Most of the victims — all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants — were 64 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The murders at the mushroom farms, deemed an extreme case of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11939361/im-afraid-half-moon-bay-shootings-may-have-been-extreme-case-of-workplace-violence\">workplace violence\u003c/a>, also exposed what local and state officials described as deplorable housing conditions for the workers who lived on-site, as well as wages that were nearly half of the minimum mandated by California law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The accused gunman, Chunli Zhao, was charged last year with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Zhao appeared briefly in court on Tuesday morning after San Mateo County prosecutors revealed that a criminal grand jury had indicted him on seven counts of first-degree murder, among other charges. Zhao’s defense attorney requested a continuance, and the judge scheduled an arraignment for the end of February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The former forklift operator allegedly gunned down the first five victims, one of whom survived, at California Terra Garden, where he worked and lived. Zhao, 66 at the time of the attack, then shot and killed three more people at nearby Concord Farms, where he previously worked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to reporters after the Half Moon Bay shootings, a visibly rattled Gov. Gavin Newsom said some of the workers at the farms had been living in shipping containers and made as little as $9 an hour, way below the state’s $15.50 hourly minimum at the time (it is now \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-66.html#:~:text=As%20of%20January%201%2C%202024,employees%20regardless%20of%20employer%20size.\">$16 per hour\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One year later, several state and county investigations of the employers are ongoing, including a “joint investigation” with state regulators at both farms for wage theft claims, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited California Terra Garden for violations of paid sick leave and supplemental paid sick leave laws. The employer settled for $150,000, according to a spokesperson for the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A successor business at the same site, Li & Son Mushroom Farms, was also cited, including for failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance and violations under the San Mateo County \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/unincorporated-minimum-wage#:~:text=Businesses%20of%20all%20sizes%20must,1%2C%202024.\">minimum wage\u003c/a>, which is higher than the state’s. But that company appealed the citations and has not paid them yet, the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Antonio De Loera-Brust, director of communications, United Farm Workers\"]‘If we can’t get accountability for a case that was this public, that had this much attention from the highest elected officials in the state of California, what does that say about what’s happening in the rest of California?’[/pullquote]And last summer, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-46.html\">proposed penalties\u003c/a> of nearly $114,000 against California Terra Garden for 22 workplace safety violations. The agency also cited \u003ca href=\"https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1647115.015\">Concord Farms\u003c/a> for more than $51,000 for 19 violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both cases remain open, with California Terra Garden contesting the penalties in August. A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees Cal/OSHA and the Labor Commissioner’s Office, confirmed that the employers have not yet paid any of the safety citation amounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others in attendance at the gathering included elected officials such as Rep. Anna Eshoo, representatives from the White House, the U.S. Department of Labor and several state agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have never seen a community pull together the way this community has,” said Eshoo, adding that she has been in elected office for 41 years. “But out of that pain, this community understood the shame that was under it and committed from day one … to get rid of the shame and [work on] the need for decent housing for human beings, for the workers in this community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973476\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11973476 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Anna Eshoo speaks during a roundtable discussion at the ALAS Sueño Center in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Antonio De Loera-Brust, who directs communications for the United Farm Workers, expressed frustration at the pace of state cases against the Half Moon Bay employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we can’t get accountability for a case that was this public, that had this much attention from the highest elected officials in the state of California, what does that say about what’s happening in the rest of California?” De Loera asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has also taken steps to address some of the longstanding squalid living and working conditions agricultural workers often face. Last December, the body \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/media/147016/download?inline=\">greenlighted (PDF)\u003c/a> a new countywide Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, which will help workers file complaints with state regulators and educate employers and workers about their obligations and rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973534\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973534\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Several people face a man at a podium holding a microphone.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial for seven farmworkers who lost their lives during a mass shooting one year prior is held at ALAS Casita and Garden in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024. The event was called Corazón del Campesino, or Heart of the Farmworker, and artist Fernando Escartiz unveiled a sculpture in tribute to the victims. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This month, county supervisors \u003ca href=\"https://sanmateocounty.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12549124&GUID=A54BEF37-9641-4986-9D24-5647D922870F\">approved\u003c/a> the $9 million purchase of a 50-acre lot in Half Moon Bay for the potential future development of farmworker housing. The county has also secured another $7.25 million to develop, in collaboration with the city of Half Moon Bay, 47 units of affordable manufactured homes, including more than a dozen for displaced relatives of the shooting victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11973071,news_11941716,news_11939470\"]“After the first memorial of the shooting, I looked at the families who attended and I told them there was nothing I could do to bring their loved ones back … that the only thing that we could do every day was to move forward and to try to improve conditions,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller, who championed the initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That would be a way that we could honor the lives of those we lost and try to heal that trauma going forward. That’s what we are committed to every day,” added Mueller, whose district includes Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the shooting, the county also created a \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/county-launches-task-force-improve-living-conditions-farm-laborers\">task force\u003c/a> to inspect about 110 total agricultural properties in the county and improve employer-provided housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rocio Avila, who has lived in the Half Moon Bay area for 14 years and personally knew some of the victims, said the tragedy brought the community closer together and made local agricultural workers like her feel “more seen” as people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that this will always be a loss, and the pain doesn’t go away,” said Avila, 40, in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Avila, the mother of three children, said she was initially dismayed to learn that new housing projects will likely take several more years to be completed. She and her family need more living space. Currently, her oldest daughter sleeps on a mattress on the floor while Avila, her husband and two younger kids share a queen-size bed in the same room, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Avila said the shooting and its aftermath steeled her resolve to ensure the county and city build the affordable housing units they’ve talked about. Avila, who is part of a “just housing” committee at the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, or ALAS, has been speaking up at supervisor meetings and participating in regular marches and vigils to involve others in that goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Several people hold candles outside.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial for seven farmworkers who lost their lives during a mass shooting one year prior is held at ALAS Casita and Garden in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024. The event was called Corazón del Campesino, or Heart of the Farmworker, and artist Fernando Escartiz unveiled a sculpture in tribute to the victims. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This drives me to continue fighting. To continue fighting and speaking about the lives of people going through housing issues and eviction,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Tuesday afternoon ceremony, community members and local and federal officials held a moment of silence for the lives lost. Many said they are committed to helping the community long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973459\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11973459 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person with long hair speaks in front of others.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisela Martinez-Maya, the niece of Marciano Martínez, who was killed in last year’s Half Moon Bay mass shootings, speaks during a roundtable discussion at the ALAS Sueño Center in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marisela Martinez-Maya remembered her uncle Marciano Martinez, who was 50. He had wanted to show her his hometown in Mexico. Instead, she traveled there to bury him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As my uncles were carrying my uncle’s casket … I just had the sudden realization that this was not OK,” she said, her voice breaking as her father, Cervando Martinez, cried next to her. “This should not have happened. This is not the way that my uncle and I were supposed to go back home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Residents gathered to remember the victims of last year’s shooting at two mushroom farms, a tragedy that shed light on the deplorable living and working conditions of many farmworkers.",
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"description": "Residents gathered to remember the victims of last year’s shooting at two mushroom farms, a tragedy that shed light on the deplorable living and working conditions of many farmworkers.",
"title": "Half Moon Bay Commemorates 1-Year Anniversary of Mass Shooting That Killed 7 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 2:15 p.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents of Half Moon Bay gathered Tuesday to commemorate the first anniversary of a tragic pair of shootings that left seven farmworkers dead, shocking the small oceanfront town and beyond. Most of the victims — all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants — were 64 and older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The murders at the mushroom farms, deemed an extreme case of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11939361/im-afraid-half-moon-bay-shootings-may-have-been-extreme-case-of-workplace-violence\">workplace violence\u003c/a>, also exposed what local and state officials described as deplorable housing conditions for the workers who lived on-site, as well as wages that were nearly half of the minimum mandated by California law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The accused gunman, Chunli Zhao, was charged last year with seven counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Zhao appeared briefly in court on Tuesday morning after San Mateo County prosecutors revealed that a criminal grand jury had indicted him on seven counts of first-degree murder, among other charges. Zhao’s defense attorney requested a continuance, and the judge scheduled an arraignment for the end of February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The former forklift operator allegedly gunned down the first five victims, one of whom survived, at California Terra Garden, where he worked and lived. Zhao, 66 at the time of the attack, then shot and killed three more people at nearby Concord Farms, where he previously worked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to reporters after the Half Moon Bay shootings, a visibly rattled Gov. Gavin Newsom said some of the workers at the farms had been living in shipping containers and made as little as $9 an hour, way below the state’s $15.50 hourly minimum at the time (it is now \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-66.html#:~:text=As%20of%20January%201%2C%202024,employees%20regardless%20of%20employer%20size.\">$16 per hour\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One year later, several state and county investigations of the employers are ongoing, including a “joint investigation” with state regulators at both farms for wage theft claims, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited California Terra Garden for violations of paid sick leave and supplemental paid sick leave laws. The employer settled for $150,000, according to a spokesperson for the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A successor business at the same site, Li & Son Mushroom Farms, was also cited, including for failure to maintain workers’ compensation insurance and violations under the San Mateo County \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/unincorporated-minimum-wage#:~:text=Businesses%20of%20all%20sizes%20must,1%2C%202024.\">minimum wage\u003c/a>, which is higher than the state’s. But that company appealed the citations and has not paid them yet, the spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘If we can’t get accountability for a case that was this public, that had this much attention from the highest elected officials in the state of California, what does that say about what’s happening in the rest of California?’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>And last summer, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-46.html\">proposed penalties\u003c/a> of nearly $114,000 against California Terra Garden for 22 workplace safety violations. The agency also cited \u003ca href=\"https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1647115.015\">Concord Farms\u003c/a> for more than $51,000 for 19 violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both cases remain open, with California Terra Garden contesting the penalties in August. A spokesperson with the Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees Cal/OSHA and the Labor Commissioner’s Office, confirmed that the employers have not yet paid any of the safety citation amounts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others in attendance at the gathering included elected officials such as Rep. Anna Eshoo, representatives from the White House, the U.S. Department of Labor and several state agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have never seen a community pull together the way this community has,” said Eshoo, adding that she has been in elected office for 41 years. “But out of that pain, this community understood the shame that was under it and committed from day one … to get rid of the shame and [work on] the need for decent housing for human beings, for the workers in this community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973476\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11973476 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-07-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Anna Eshoo speaks during a roundtable discussion at the ALAS Sueño Center in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Antonio De Loera-Brust, who directs communications for the United Farm Workers, expressed frustration at the pace of state cases against the Half Moon Bay employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we can’t get accountability for a case that was this public, that had this much attention from the highest elected officials in the state of California, what does that say about what’s happening in the rest of California?” De Loera asked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has also taken steps to address some of the longstanding squalid living and working conditions agricultural workers often face. Last December, the body \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/media/147016/download?inline=\">greenlighted (PDF)\u003c/a> a new countywide Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, which will help workers file complaints with state regulators and educate employers and workers about their obligations and rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973534\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973534\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Several people face a man at a podium holding a microphone.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-46-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial for seven farmworkers who lost their lives during a mass shooting one year prior is held at ALAS Casita and Garden in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024. The event was called Corazón del Campesino, or Heart of the Farmworker, and artist Fernando Escartiz unveiled a sculpture in tribute to the victims. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This month, county supervisors \u003ca href=\"https://sanmateocounty.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12549124&GUID=A54BEF37-9641-4986-9D24-5647D922870F\">approved\u003c/a> the $9 million purchase of a 50-acre lot in Half Moon Bay for the potential future development of farmworker housing. The county has also secured another $7.25 million to develop, in collaboration with the city of Half Moon Bay, 47 units of affordable manufactured homes, including more than a dozen for displaced relatives of the shooting victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“After the first memorial of the shooting, I looked at the families who attended and I told them there was nothing I could do to bring their loved ones back … that the only thing that we could do every day was to move forward and to try to improve conditions,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller, who championed the initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That would be a way that we could honor the lives of those we lost and try to heal that trauma going forward. That’s what we are committed to every day,” added Mueller, whose district includes Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to the shooting, the county also created a \u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/news/county-launches-task-force-improve-living-conditions-farm-laborers\">task force\u003c/a> to inspect about 110 total agricultural properties in the county and improve employer-provided housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rocio Avila, who has lived in the Half Moon Bay area for 14 years and personally knew some of the victims, said the tragedy brought the community closer together and made local agricultural workers like her feel “more seen” as people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that this will always be a loss, and the pain doesn’t go away,” said Avila, 40, in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Avila, the mother of three children, said she was initially dismayed to learn that new housing projects will likely take several more years to be completed. She and her family need more living space. Currently, her oldest daughter sleeps on a mattress on the floor while Avila, her husband and two younger kids share a queen-size bed in the same room, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Avila said the shooting and its aftermath steeled her resolve to ensure the county and city build the affordable housing units they’ve talked about. Avila, who is part of a “just housing” committee at the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, or ALAS, has been speaking up at supervisor meetings and participating in regular marches and vigils to involve others in that goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973535\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Several people hold candles outside.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingMemorial-57-BL-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial for seven farmworkers who lost their lives during a mass shooting one year prior is held at ALAS Casita and Garden in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024. The event was called Corazón del Campesino, or Heart of the Farmworker, and artist Fernando Escartiz unveiled a sculpture in tribute to the victims. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This drives me to continue fighting. To continue fighting and speaking about the lives of people going through housing issues and eviction,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Tuesday afternoon ceremony, community members and local and federal officials held a moment of silence for the lives lost. Many said they are committed to helping the community long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973459\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11973459 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person with long hair speaks in front of others.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240123-HMBShootingAnniversary-30-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisela Martinez-Maya, the niece of Marciano Martínez, who was killed in last year’s Half Moon Bay mass shootings, speaks during a roundtable discussion at the ALAS Sueño Center in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marisela Martinez-Maya remembered her uncle Marciano Martinez, who was 50. He had wanted to show her his hometown in Mexico. Instead, she traveled there to bury him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As my uncles were carrying my uncle’s casket … I just had the sudden realization that this was not OK,” she said, her voice breaking as her father, Cervando Martinez, cried next to her. “This should not have happened. This is not the way that my uncle and I were supposed to go back home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Survivors of Half Moon Bay Mass Shooting Struggle to Rebuild 1 Year Later",
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"content": "\u003cp>The five Chinese farmworkers sitting together in Half Moon Bay Library on a foggy afternoon last month were there to receive information about their permanent homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It had been almost a year since they were displaced by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11938972/7-killed-in-monday-shooting-massacre-in-half-moon-bay\">mass shooting at two produce farms\u003c/a> in the small city on California’s coast. They lost more than their homes. They also lost their sense of community and safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deadliest shooting recorded in San Mateo County was the third in a week of gun violence that rocked California in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 16, six people, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11948187/california-teen-mother-baby-murdered-gang-related-mass-shooting\">teenage mother and her infant son\u003c/a>, were massacred in a house in Goshen, an unincorporated community in the Central Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 21, a gunman opened fire in a Monterey Park dance studio, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11938863/the-long-process-of-healing-aapi-community-members-react-to-the-lunar-new-year-mass-shooting\">killing 11 people\u003c/a> celebrating the Lunar New Year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, on Jan. 23, seven people were killed across two mushroom farms about three miles apart in Half Moon Bay. Five of the victims were Chinese, and two were Latino. Almost 30 people who lived on the farms in sheds, shipping containers and converted trailers were left unhoused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973075\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A candlelit vigil for the victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign at a memorial for victims of a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay says, ‘We Stand With You’ after a vigil in their honor at Mac Dutra Park in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 27, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The mass shooting brought renewed attention to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940017/under-the-radar-half-moon-bay-and-the-vulnerability-of-farmwork\">living and working conditions of California’s farmworkers\u003c/a>. Farmworkers, many of whom are undocumented immigrants and fear deportation, are less likely to report safety violations and wage theft. In the state where the national movement to organize farmworkers began more than five decades ago, agricultural laborers still face employer retaliation for unionizing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many who toil in fields for long hours and low wages struggle to afford housing and find themselves sleeping in unsafe structures on farms. But experts, community advocates and survivors interviewed by KQED for this story said the gun violence in Half Moon Bay exposed the emergent vulnerability of Chinese farmworkers, who are almost invisible because they represent a sliver of migrant farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yvonne Lee, a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission, said AAPI farmworkers are vulnerable because of isolation. The closest Chinatown to Half Moon Bay is in San Francisco, about an hour’s drive.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Yvonne Lee, member, US Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission\"]‘They don’t think, ‘Hey, what I’m experiencing, it may not be fair.’ So they keep it on themselves.’[/pullquote]“If you are in a farming industry — No. 1, it’s more fragmented — and farming, you tend to be in a rural area outside of the traditional Asian enclaves that you would find support,” Lee said. “Yes, Half Moon Bay is not that far, but if you’re talking about an immigrant who doesn’t own a car — even if they own a car, they have limited resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t think, ‘Hey, what I’m experiencing, it may not be fair.’ So they keep it on themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee said very few Americans know of the legacy of AAPI farmworkers in the agricultural industry. In the 1850s, Chinese workers began migrating to America to work in California’s gold mines. Chinese immigrants were also instrumental in building the transcontinental railroad from 1863–69.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chinese migrants also took agricultural jobs and introduced new farming techniques, including shifting California’s agricultural business from grain to vegetables and fruits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971712\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concord Farms can be seen in the distance in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 3, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Very few people will know that back in the late 1880s, Asian farmers and workers contributed to almost 70% of California’s produce output,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anti-Chinese racism festered among white laborers, particularly among unemployed European immigrants who refused to work in fields. The resentment culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act, the xenophobic 1882 law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers. The law was repealed in 1943.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Yvonne Lee, member, US Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission\"]‘Very few people will know that back in the late 1880s, Asian farmers and workers contributed to almost 70% of California’s produce output.’[/pullquote]The agricultural jobs vacated by the Chinese were filled by Japanese workers until the incarceration of people of Japanese descent, many of whom were American citizens, disrupted California’s vegetable industry. Japanese farmers grew most of the state’s peppers, celery, tomatoes and strawberries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, about 96% of farmworkers in California identify as Hispanic, with \u003ca href=\"https://farmworkerfamily.org/information\">75% undocumented\u003c/a>, according to the Center for Farmworker Families. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2019/2017Census_Asian_Producers.pdf\">census (PDF)\u003c/a>, which is conducted every five years, found that Asian producers accounted for 0.7% of the country’s 3.4 million producers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At roughly 7,000, California had the highest number of Asian farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘It’s a forever memory’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chunli Zhao opened fire at California Terra Garden, where he lived and worked as a forklift driver, killing four people and wounding Pedro Romero Pérez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zhao then drove to Concord Farms, a farm he was reportedly fired from in 2015, and fatally shot three people. Zhao, 67, was arrested. He has pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/half-moon-bay-shooting-suspect-interview/3140537/\">interview\u003c/a> three days after the shooting, Zhao told NBC Bay Area that he had endured years of bullying and long hours working at the two farms. According to Steve Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County district attorney, Zhao told investigators that he was angry at the time of the shootings because California Terra Garden demanded $100 to repair a damaged forklift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seven victims were Jose Romero Pérez, 38; Zhishen Liu, 73; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50; Aixiang Zhang, 74; Qizhong Cheng, 66; Jingzhi Lu, 64; and Yetao Bing, 43.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973088\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973088\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A large vigil with many bouquets of flowers, candles and handwritten signs in memory of those who were victims of the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mourner lights a candle after a vigil in Half Moon Bay for victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting earlier in the week, which left 7 dead and 1 wounded, on Jan. 27, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pedro Romero Pérez, the younger brother of José Romero Pérez, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11966741/culture-cures-accordion-classes-for-half-moon-bay-farmworkers-offer-healing-through-music\">learning to play accordion in a music therapy class\u003c/a> at another farm in Half Moon Bay, KQED reported in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The workers were forced to move off the farms as the police and FBI conducted investigations. They’ve moved between hotels and short-term rentals. The rent will be paid by San Mateo County through March or April, according to a Half Moon Bay city official. The city will need to raise money for temporary housing, officials told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a December afternoon the week before Christmas, KQED interviewed a middle-aged Chinese couple through an interpreter at the Half Moon Bay Library. Before the mass shooting, they lived in a shed on Concord Farms without a kitchen or bathroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside the library’s community room, an elderly Chinese couple never left each other’s side. The man walked with a hunch, and his wife clutched the handle of her cane with one hand and rested the other on his walker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A man joined the couple. In bits of English and Cantonese, he talked with a KQED reporter whose mother immigrated from China about how both of their families have roots in Guangdong, a coastal province in China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To speak with KQED, the younger of the two couples requested anonymity to maintain their privacy while discussing the massacre and their housing situation. Their case manager, Sao Leng U, translated from Mandarin to English.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The woman made intense eye contact with Leng U during the interview. Her husband, a truck driver who was on his daily route when his coworkers and friends were fatally shot, kept his eyes glued to a handout printed in Mandarin.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Half Moon Bay farmworker\"]‘We, of course, want stable housing. In the past, we were living at the farm, and after the shooting, we cannot. So we just want to know, ‘What’s my future? What does it look like?”[/pullquote]“I was at the farm, but the farm is quite loud and noisy,” the woman told KQED. “I didn’t know anything had happened until we went outside and saw [the farmworkers who had been shot] and called the police.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last year, they’ve been burdened with lingering trauma, the fear of losing pay, and the uncertainty of where they’ll live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After the shooting happened, we are kind of moving from place to place, and we’re feeling insecure,” the woman said. “We, of course, want stable housing. In the past, we were living at the farm, and after the shooting, we cannot. So we just want to know, ‘What’s my future? What does it look like?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about returning to work a week after the shooting, the man looked up and spoke for the first time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we might have a little bit of PTSD,” he said through the interpreter. “It’s not like a sickness or something, but every time we go back, we’re thinking of the incident. It’s no longer like before. Because before, even though we were working really hard, we were happy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple said they are unsure if they will ever truly move on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a forever memory,” the woman said. “Especially now, we’re still working at the farm. Because all the farmworkers are living together, we have different sheds, but we have lots of memories. Especially because I am a witness, it’s really difficult to move on, and it’s not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A community overlooked\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Just a turn off Highway 92 is Spanish Town Shops, where a metal T. rex sculpture, intricate water fountains and handcrafted pottery greet visitors. Nestled between the shops is a narrow, rutted road and a creek bridge that leads to California Terra Garden, formerly known as Mountain Mushroom Farm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a greenhouse to the right, and on a recent visit, there were about a dozen cars in the parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple signs tell lurkers to “Keep Out” and to not take photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Concord Farms in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 3, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Concord Farms is down Highway 1, a 10-minute drive with ocean views. After a stretch of unpaved road, the farm appears with tractors on one side and rolling hills in the distance. Trucks drive in and out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Half Moon Bay’s reputation as a picturesque oceanside getaway known for its quaint pumpkin festival and big wave surfing was jolted by the shooting. A year ago, the farmworker community was overlooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/halfmoonbaycitycalifornia\">2023 U.S. Census data\u003c/a>, Half Moon Bay, with a population of roughly 11,000, is 65.8% white, 24.5% Hispanic or Latino and 5.1% Asian. The median household income is $149,000, and only 6.8% live below the poverty line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The farms are] driven by frequently. Lots of people drive on Highway 92,” said Karen Decker, Half Moon Bay’s economic and city vitality manager. “You pass these landmarks, but just past those recognizable landmarks, there are really insular communities, and you have isolation within isolation.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Karen Decker, economic and city vitality manager, Half Moon Bay\"]‘Sometimes, you would hear like an eruption of crying, and you didn’t know if a family had just received a death notification or if they already knew.’[/pullquote]Decker was at the community center that was converted to a reunification site on Jan. 23, 2023. She recalled a large crowd of Spanish-speaking farmworkers on one side and, on another, a group of six to eight Chinese farmworkers huddled together, speaking Mandarin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes, you would hear like an eruption of crying, and you didn’t know if a family had just received a death notification or if they already knew,” Decker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She recalled asking one Chinese woman about her biggest need, expecting to hear water or food. Instead, Decker said the woman conveyed a “great anxiety about missing work” the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re so frantic that they’re going to lose their housing if they can’t work,” Decker said. “They’re terrified about missing, like, an hour of wages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Decker and other volunteers went to pick up the farmworkers from their hotels on Jan. 24, 2023, no one was eating the continental breakfast. They didn’t know it was included, Decker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became clear to us that the people we work with who were displaced hadn’t stayed in a hotel before,” Decker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leng U, the director of social services at Self-Help for the Elderly, a San Francisco Chinatown nonprofit that provides case management to Chinese farmworkers, said many Chinese immigrants rely on family to house them after arriving in the U.S. That’s not the case for the Half Moon Bay farmworkers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971710\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to California Terra Garden farm in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 3, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She said most of the affected Chinese farmworkers did not have family support. Advertisements for farms in publications like Sing Tao, a Bay Area Chinese newspaper, offer on-site housing. That’s what drew the workers to Half Moon Bay, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of the time, they are stationed at the farm. They live at the farm. They eat at the farm,” Leng U added. “They get along with each other like family because most of them have very limited social interaction with the people outside. There is no agency that specifically works with the Chinese population. They don’t have any community connection.”[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"California Gov. Gavin Newsom\"]‘Some of you should see where these folks are living — the conditions they’re in. Living in shipping containers. Folks getting $9 an hour. No health care, no support, no services.’[/pullquote]Leng U visited both farms after the shooting. The sheds used as homes had plastic sheets for insulation and just enough room for a mattress and personal belongings. There were makeshift outdoor kitchens. During the winter months, cold temperatures caused the farmworkers to lose sleep, according to Leng U.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of you should see where these folks are living — the conditions they’re in,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Jan. 24, 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fD7JYgh1wI'\">press conference\u003c/a> in Half Moon Bay. “Living in shipping containers. Folks getting $9 an hour. No health care, no support, no services.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a Jan. 28, 2023, story in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/half-moon-bay-mass-shooting-farms-were-not-17747665.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, San Mateo County officials did not find records of housing permits or inspection records for either farm. In June 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-46.html\">Cal/OSHA cited both farms\u003c/a> for failure to secure labor camp permits for onsite worker housing, among other violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/06/01/governor-newsom-announces-16-million-to-support-farmworker-homeownership/\">$16 million\u003c/a> to increase homeownership for California farmworkers, $5 million of which would be allocated to Half Moon Bay to purchase 28 housing units, in June 2023. The city has set aside $1 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.half-moon-bay.ca.us/881/880-Stone-Pine---Frequently-Asked-Questi\">to plan a development\u003c/a> slated to be completed in 2025.[aside postID=news_11941716 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/IMG_2540-1-1020x765.jpeg']Wei-ting Chen, the executive director of community engagement at the Stanford School of Medicine, volunteered to translate for the Chinese farmworkers in the immediate aftermath. She routinely goes to Half Moon Bay to deliver supplies and texts the farmworkers using WeChat, a Chinese messaging app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Chen, the farmworkers feel that the temporary housing, while comfortable, doesn’t feel like their homes. They will sleep there, but they still cook on the farm because the smoke from their woks fills the apartments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They still do most of their living on the farm,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Chen, most of the employees work six days a week. Their one day off is used to run errands. One older couple decided to retire, but the rest of the Chinese workers returned to work almost immediately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were eager to go back to work because if they didn’t work, they didn’t get paid,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Almost one year after the deadliest shooting recorded in San Mateo County, many farmworkers in the area are still struggling to move on with their lives and wonder deeply about their futures.",
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"title": "Survivors of Half Moon Bay Mass Shooting Struggle to Rebuild 1 Year Later | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The five Chinese farmworkers sitting together in Half Moon Bay Library on a foggy afternoon last month were there to receive information about their permanent homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It had been almost a year since they were displaced by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11938972/7-killed-in-monday-shooting-massacre-in-half-moon-bay\">mass shooting at two produce farms\u003c/a> in the small city on California’s coast. They lost more than their homes. They also lost their sense of community and safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deadliest shooting recorded in San Mateo County was the third in a week of gun violence that rocked California in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 16, six people, including a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11948187/california-teen-mother-baby-murdered-gang-related-mass-shooting\">teenage mother and her infant son\u003c/a>, were massacred in a house in Goshen, an unincorporated community in the Central Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Jan. 21, a gunman opened fire in a Monterey Park dance studio, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11938863/the-long-process-of-healing-aapi-community-members-react-to-the-lunar-new-year-mass-shooting\">killing 11 people\u003c/a> celebrating the Lunar New Year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, on Jan. 23, seven people were killed across two mushroom farms about three miles apart in Half Moon Bay. Five of the victims were Chinese, and two were Latino. Almost 30 people who lived on the farms in sheds, shipping containers and converted trailers were left unhoused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973075\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A candlelit vigil for the victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/044_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign at a memorial for victims of a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay says, ‘We Stand With You’ after a vigil in their honor at Mac Dutra Park in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 27, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The mass shooting brought renewed attention to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940017/under-the-radar-half-moon-bay-and-the-vulnerability-of-farmwork\">living and working conditions of California’s farmworkers\u003c/a>. Farmworkers, many of whom are undocumented immigrants and fear deportation, are less likely to report safety violations and wage theft. In the state where the national movement to organize farmworkers began more than five decades ago, agricultural laborers still face employer retaliation for unionizing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many who toil in fields for long hours and low wages struggle to afford housing and find themselves sleeping in unsafe structures on farms. But experts, community advocates and survivors interviewed by KQED for this story said the gun violence in Half Moon Bay exposed the emergent vulnerability of Chinese farmworkers, who are almost invisible because they represent a sliver of migrant farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yvonne Lee, a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission, said AAPI farmworkers are vulnerable because of isolation. The closest Chinatown to Half Moon Bay is in San Francisco, about an hour’s drive.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘They don’t think, ‘Hey, what I’m experiencing, it may not be fair.’ So they keep it on themselves.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“If you are in a farming industry — No. 1, it’s more fragmented — and farming, you tend to be in a rural area outside of the traditional Asian enclaves that you would find support,” Lee said. “Yes, Half Moon Bay is not that far, but if you’re talking about an immigrant who doesn’t own a car — even if they own a car, they have limited resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t think, ‘Hey, what I’m experiencing, it may not be fair.’ So they keep it on themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee said very few Americans know of the legacy of AAPI farmworkers in the agricultural industry. In the 1850s, Chinese workers began migrating to America to work in California’s gold mines. Chinese immigrants were also instrumental in building the transcontinental railroad from 1863–69.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chinese migrants also took agricultural jobs and introduced new farming techniques, including shifting California’s agricultural business from grain to vegetables and fruits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971712\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-10-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concord Farms can be seen in the distance in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 3, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Very few people will know that back in the late 1880s, Asian farmers and workers contributed to almost 70% of California’s produce output,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anti-Chinese racism festered among white laborers, particularly among unemployed European immigrants who refused to work in fields. The resentment culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act, the xenophobic 1882 law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers. The law was repealed in 1943.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The agricultural jobs vacated by the Chinese were filled by Japanese workers until the incarceration of people of Japanese descent, many of whom were American citizens, disrupted California’s vegetable industry. Japanese farmers grew most of the state’s peppers, celery, tomatoes and strawberries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, about 96% of farmworkers in California identify as Hispanic, with \u003ca href=\"https://farmworkerfamily.org/information\">75% undocumented\u003c/a>, according to the Center for Farmworker Families. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2019/2017Census_Asian_Producers.pdf\">census (PDF)\u003c/a>, which is conducted every five years, found that Asian producers accounted for 0.7% of the country’s 3.4 million producers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At roughly 7,000, California had the highest number of Asian farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘It’s a forever memory’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Chunli Zhao opened fire at California Terra Garden, where he lived and worked as a forklift driver, killing four people and wounding Pedro Romero Pérez.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zhao then drove to Concord Farms, a farm he was reportedly fired from in 2015, and fatally shot three people. Zhao, 67, was arrested. He has pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/half-moon-bay-shooting-suspect-interview/3140537/\">interview\u003c/a> three days after the shooting, Zhao told NBC Bay Area that he had endured years of bullying and long hours working at the two farms. According to Steve Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County district attorney, Zhao told investigators that he was angry at the time of the shootings because California Terra Garden demanded $100 to repair a damaged forklift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The seven victims were Jose Romero Pérez, 38; Zhishen Liu, 73; Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50; Aixiang Zhang, 74; Qizhong Cheng, 66; Jingzhi Lu, 64; and Yetao Bing, 43.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11973088\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11973088\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A large vigil with many bouquets of flowers, candles and handwritten signs in memory of those who were victims of the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/046_KQED_HMBMassShootingVigil_01272023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A mourner lights a candle after a vigil in Half Moon Bay for victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting earlier in the week, which left 7 dead and 1 wounded, on Jan. 27, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pedro Romero Pérez, the younger brother of José Romero Pérez, is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11966741/culture-cures-accordion-classes-for-half-moon-bay-farmworkers-offer-healing-through-music\">learning to play accordion in a music therapy class\u003c/a> at another farm in Half Moon Bay, KQED reported in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The workers were forced to move off the farms as the police and FBI conducted investigations. They’ve moved between hotels and short-term rentals. The rent will be paid by San Mateo County through March or April, according to a Half Moon Bay city official. The city will need to raise money for temporary housing, officials told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a December afternoon the week before Christmas, KQED interviewed a middle-aged Chinese couple through an interpreter at the Half Moon Bay Library. Before the mass shooting, they lived in a shed on Concord Farms without a kitchen or bathroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside the library’s community room, an elderly Chinese couple never left each other’s side. The man walked with a hunch, and his wife clutched the handle of her cane with one hand and rested the other on his walker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A man joined the couple. In bits of English and Cantonese, he talked with a KQED reporter whose mother immigrated from China about how both of their families have roots in Guangdong, a coastal province in China.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To speak with KQED, the younger of the two couples requested anonymity to maintain their privacy while discussing the massacre and their housing situation. Their case manager, Sao Leng U, translated from Mandarin to English.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The woman made intense eye contact with Leng U during the interview. Her husband, a truck driver who was on his daily route when his coworkers and friends were fatally shot, kept his eyes glued to a handout printed in Mandarin.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We, of course, want stable housing. In the past, we were living at the farm, and after the shooting, we cannot. So we just want to know, ‘What’s my future? What does it look like?”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I was at the farm, but the farm is quite loud and noisy,” the woman told KQED. “I didn’t know anything had happened until we went outside and saw [the farmworkers who had been shot] and called the police.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last year, they’ve been burdened with lingering trauma, the fear of losing pay, and the uncertainty of where they’ll live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After the shooting happened, we are kind of moving from place to place, and we’re feeling insecure,” the woman said. “We, of course, want stable housing. In the past, we were living at the farm, and after the shooting, we cannot. So we just want to know, ‘What’s my future? What does it look like?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked about returning to work a week after the shooting, the man looked up and spoke for the first time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think we might have a little bit of PTSD,” he said through the interpreter. “It’s not like a sickness or something, but every time we go back, we’re thinking of the incident. It’s no longer like before. Because before, even though we were working really hard, we were happy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The couple said they are unsure if they will ever truly move on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a forever memory,” the woman said. “Especially now, we’re still working at the farm. Because all the farmworkers are living together, we have different sheds, but we have lots of memories. Especially because I am a witness, it’s really difficult to move on, and it’s not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A community overlooked\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Just a turn off Highway 92 is Spanish Town Shops, where a metal T. rex sculpture, intricate water fountains and handcrafted pottery greet visitors. Nestled between the shops is a narrow, rutted road and a creek bridge that leads to California Terra Garden, formerly known as Mountain Mushroom Farm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a greenhouse to the right, and on a recent visit, there were about a dozen cars in the parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple signs tell lurkers to “Keep Out” and to not take photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-07-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to Concord Farms in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 3, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Concord Farms is down Highway 1, a 10-minute drive with ocean views. After a stretch of unpaved road, the farm appears with tractors on one side and rolling hills in the distance. Trucks drive in and out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Half Moon Bay’s reputation as a picturesque oceanside getaway known for its quaint pumpkin festival and big wave surfing was jolted by the shooting. A year ago, the farmworker community was overlooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/halfmoonbaycitycalifornia\">2023 U.S. Census data\u003c/a>, Half Moon Bay, with a population of roughly 11,000, is 65.8% white, 24.5% Hispanic or Latino and 5.1% Asian. The median household income is $149,000, and only 6.8% live below the poverty line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The farms are] driven by frequently. Lots of people drive on Highway 92,” said Karen Decker, Half Moon Bay’s economic and city vitality manager. “You pass these landmarks, but just past those recognizable landmarks, there are really insular communities, and you have isolation within isolation.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Decker was at the community center that was converted to a reunification site on Jan. 23, 2023. She recalled a large crowd of Spanish-speaking farmworkers on one side and, on another, a group of six to eight Chinese farmworkers huddled together, speaking Mandarin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes, you would hear like an eruption of crying, and you didn’t know if a family had just received a death notification or if they already knew,” Decker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She recalled asking one Chinese woman about her biggest need, expecting to hear water or food. Instead, Decker said the woman conveyed a “great anxiety about missing work” the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re so frantic that they’re going to lose their housing if they can’t work,” Decker said. “They’re terrified about missing, like, an hour of wages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Decker and other volunteers went to pick up the farmworkers from their hotels on Jan. 24, 2023, no one was eating the continental breakfast. They didn’t know it was included, Decker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It became clear to us that the people we work with who were displaced hadn’t stayed in a hotel before,” Decker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leng U, the director of social services at Self-Help for the Elderly, a San Francisco Chinatown nonprofit that provides case management to Chinese farmworkers, said many Chinese immigrants rely on family to house them after arriving in the U.S. That’s not the case for the Half Moon Bay farmworkers, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11971710\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240103-HMBFARMS-02-BL-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to California Terra Garden farm in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 3, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She said most of the affected Chinese farmworkers did not have family support. Advertisements for farms in publications like Sing Tao, a Bay Area Chinese newspaper, offer on-site housing. That’s what drew the workers to Half Moon Bay, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most of the time, they are stationed at the farm. They live at the farm. They eat at the farm,” Leng U added. “They get along with each other like family because most of them have very limited social interaction with the people outside. There is no agency that specifically works with the Chinese population. They don’t have any community connection.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Some of you should see where these folks are living — the conditions they’re in. Living in shipping containers. Folks getting $9 an hour. No health care, no support, no services.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Leng U visited both farms after the shooting. The sheds used as homes had plastic sheets for insulation and just enough room for a mattress and personal belongings. There were makeshift outdoor kitchens. During the winter months, cold temperatures caused the farmworkers to lose sleep, according to Leng U.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some of you should see where these folks are living — the conditions they’re in,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Jan. 24, 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fD7JYgh1wI'\">press conference\u003c/a> in Half Moon Bay. “Living in shipping containers. Folks getting $9 an hour. No health care, no support, no services.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a Jan. 28, 2023, story in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/half-moon-bay-mass-shooting-farms-were-not-17747665.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, San Mateo County officials did not find records of housing permits or inspection records for either farm. In June 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2023/2023-46.html\">Cal/OSHA cited both farms\u003c/a> for failure to secure labor camp permits for onsite worker housing, among other violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/06/01/governor-newsom-announces-16-million-to-support-farmworker-homeownership/\">$16 million\u003c/a> to increase homeownership for California farmworkers, $5 million of which would be allocated to Half Moon Bay to purchase 28 housing units, in June 2023. The city has set aside $1 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.half-moon-bay.ca.us/881/880-Stone-Pine---Frequently-Asked-Questi\">to plan a development\u003c/a> slated to be completed in 2025.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Wei-ting Chen, the executive director of community engagement at the Stanford School of Medicine, volunteered to translate for the Chinese farmworkers in the immediate aftermath. She routinely goes to Half Moon Bay to deliver supplies and texts the farmworkers using WeChat, a Chinese messaging app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Chen, the farmworkers feel that the temporary housing, while comfortable, doesn’t feel like their homes. They will sleep there, but they still cook on the farm because the smoke from their woks fills the apartments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They still do most of their living on the farm,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Chen, most of the employees work six days a week. Their one day off is used to run errands. One older couple decided to retire, but the rest of the Chinese workers returned to work almost immediately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were eager to go back to work because if they didn’t work, they didn’t get paid,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A fatal strain of bird flu is tearing through Sonoma County poultry populations, leading to mass euthanization efforts as farmers work to stop the spread of the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In less than a month, four Sonoma County farms have detected the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain that’s been found in bird populations across the state, country and world. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Jennifer Reichardt, chief operating officer, Liberty Ducks\"]‘There was never going to be a good time for this to hit, but during the holidays, it is especially hard.’[/pullquote]More than half a million ducks and hens have been affected at those four farms experiencing outbreaks, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks\">online infection tracker by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\u003c/a> Across California, the number is more than 1.3 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said the outbreaks are a devastating hit to farms in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone’s doing all they can and just praying daily and losing sleep, hoping that we’ve seen the worst of it and, you know, that it doesn’t continue to spread in our area or anywhere for that matter,” Ghirardelli said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the highly contagious nature of the virus, all birds in a commercial flock where avian flu is detected must be euthanized. According to the USDA, commercial flocks are operations with 1,000 or more birds (domestic poultry).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, says prices could go up soon as hundreds of thousands of birds are euthanized and others at nearby farms are quarantined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because we’ve lost so many ducks and we have a small duck population in California, that could affect pricing more at restaurants than anywhere else,” Mattos said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first reported outbreak occurred in late November at a duck breeding facility where nearly 170,000 ducks were affected. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Bill Mattos, president, California Poultry Federation\"]‘Because we’ve lost so many ducks and we have a small duck population in California, that could affect pricing more at restaurants than anywhere else.’[/pullquote]Then last week, Liberty Ducks Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Reichardt announced on\u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-liberty-ducks-family-farm\"> a GoFundMe page\u003c/a> that one of their farm locations detected the virus among a population of nearly 5,000 ducks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liberty Ducks is a supplier to several fine dining restaurants in Sonoma and other parts of the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was never going to be a good time for this to hit, but during the holidays, it is especially hard,” Reichardt said in an email. “These should have been our biggest three weeks of the year, and it’s been severely crippled with the outbreak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mattos also warned about the possibility of rising egg prices, as has occurred in previous years when avian flu numbers were high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The price of eggs could change if we lose more [egg] layers in California. … We just saw 3 million layer chickens in Ohio have bird flu and have to be depopulated,” Mattos said. “And a lot of the Ohio birds come into California because they meet our cage-free standards. So the price will depend on if this affects more than California.” [aside label='More Stories on Farmworkers' tag='farmworkers']Mattos made those remarks before the discovery of the latest Sonoma County outbreak at an unnamed egg-laying operation where 270,000 birds were affected, the largest single outbreak in California in the past two months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Eurasian H5N1 strain of the avian flu has been in California since 2022 and was first detected among waterfowl populations, which are often responsible for spreading the virus to new areas. Now, cases are on the rise again as wild birds embark on their annual migration south, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peter Tira, a CDFW public information officer, said infection numbers among wild bird populations don’t seem to be as high as last fall. But he added that the migration is beginning later than usual this year, meaning more birds, possibly more infected birds, are on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tira said once the winter passes and birds begin to migrate north again, the disease should begin to dissipate again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though even if cases subside, this avian flu strain could be sticking around for a while. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Maurice Pitesky, professor, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine-Cooperative Extension\"]‘… We’re probably going to be in some kind of persistent cycle with this specific strain of influenza for a while.’[/pullquote]Maurice Pitesky, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine-Cooperative Extension, said the outbreak is akin to a global pandemic among poultry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks\">USDA\u003c/a>, over 4.6 million birds have been killed so far this year compared to the almost 58 million birds killed last year when the outbreak began. The disease has been found in dozens of countries across five continents, according to the World Health Organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think most people at this point view the virus as somewhat endemic in the waterfowl population,” Pitesky said. “As long as the virus infects the ducklings and goslings that these adults are hatching, we’re probably going to be in some kind of persistent cycle with this specific strain of influenza for a while.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>More than half a million ducks and hens have been affected at those four farms experiencing outbreaks, according to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks\">online infection tracker by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\u003c/a> Across California, the number is more than 1.3 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said the outbreaks are a devastating hit to farms in the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everyone’s doing all they can and just praying daily and losing sleep, hoping that we’ve seen the worst of it and, you know, that it doesn’t continue to spread in our area or anywhere for that matter,” Ghirardelli said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the highly contagious nature of the virus, all birds in a commercial flock where avian flu is detected must be euthanized. According to the USDA, commercial flocks are operations with 1,000 or more birds (domestic poultry).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, says prices could go up soon as hundreds of thousands of birds are euthanized and others at nearby farms are quarantined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because we’ve lost so many ducks and we have a small duck population in California, that could affect pricing more at restaurants than anywhere else,” Mattos said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first reported outbreak occurred in late November at a duck breeding facility where nearly 170,000 ducks were affected. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Then last week, Liberty Ducks Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Reichardt announced on\u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-liberty-ducks-family-farm\"> a GoFundMe page\u003c/a> that one of their farm locations detected the virus among a population of nearly 5,000 ducks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liberty Ducks is a supplier to several fine dining restaurants in Sonoma and other parts of the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was never going to be a good time for this to hit, but during the holidays, it is especially hard,” Reichardt said in an email. “These should have been our biggest three weeks of the year, and it’s been severely crippled with the outbreak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mattos also warned about the possibility of rising egg prices, as has occurred in previous years when avian flu numbers were high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The price of eggs could change if we lose more [egg] layers in California. … We just saw 3 million layer chickens in Ohio have bird flu and have to be depopulated,” Mattos said. “And a lot of the Ohio birds come into California because they meet our cage-free standards. So the price will depend on if this affects more than California.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mattos made those remarks before the discovery of the latest Sonoma County outbreak at an unnamed egg-laying operation where 270,000 birds were affected, the largest single outbreak in California in the past two months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Eurasian H5N1 strain of the avian flu has been in California since 2022 and was first detected among waterfowl populations, which are often responsible for spreading the virus to new areas. Now, cases are on the rise again as wild birds embark on their annual migration south, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Peter Tira, a CDFW public information officer, said infection numbers among wild bird populations don’t seem to be as high as last fall. But he added that the migration is beginning later than usual this year, meaning more birds, possibly more infected birds, are on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tira said once the winter passes and birds begin to migrate north again, the disease should begin to dissipate again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though even if cases subside, this avian flu strain could be sticking around for a while. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Maurice Pitesky, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine-Cooperative Extension, said the outbreak is akin to a global pandemic among poultry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks\">USDA\u003c/a>, over 4.6 million birds have been killed so far this year compared to the almost 58 million birds killed last year when the outbreak began. The disease has been found in dozens of countries across five continents, according to the World Health Organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think most people at this point view the virus as somewhat endemic in the waterfowl population,” Pitesky said. “As long as the virus infects the ducklings and goslings that these adults are hatching, we’re probably going to be in some kind of persistent cycle with this specific strain of influenza for a while.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "A Music Class is Helping Farmworkers Heal in Half Moon Bay",
"headTitle": "A Music Class is Helping Farmworkers Heal in Half Moon Bay | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In January, a gunman killed 7 farmworkers at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay. Months later, one community group has been trying to use accordion classes as a way to help farmworkers heal from the trauma.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://kqed.applytojob.com/apply/g81IJAEpax/Intern-The-Bay-Podcast\">Apply to be our intern!\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC2503620378&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\n\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Hey, it’s Ericka. Quick little note. The bay is looking for an intern. This is a 16 hour a week paid opportunity to help us make this show. The internship runs from January through June of 2024. So if you’ve got love for local news, the Bay Area and podcasting. Let’s chat. The deadline to apply is November 17th. We’ll give you a link to the application in our show notes. All right. Here’s the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Most Wednesday nights inside of a red barn in Half Moon Bay, you can hear the sound of farm workers learning how to play the accordion together. It’s a way to learn something new and spend time with people, but it’s also a form of therapy. Back in January, a gunman made his way through two farms, just like this one in Half Moon Bay, killing seven farm workers and completely rocking the community. And even though the camera crews are long gone, the pain of what happened here still lives on, which is why one community group has set up this small program to help these farmworkers heal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>You know, I think that music elevates a soul. It speaks to the soul. It brings in memories of harm, calls to the joy. Sadness, too. But it’s also like a central language, I think, of healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we take you inside the program in Half Moon Bay that’s offering healing through music. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So I went to Cabrillo Farms and Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Blanca Torres is a producer and reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>It’s right off Highway one. I drive down this dirt road and it’s lined by fields on each side, and there’s all this beautiful produce growing out of the ground. I arrived at this barn, you know, it’s just a regular farm. So I went to real farms to observe a music class for farm workers that was sponsored by Atlas, which stands for Uganda Latinos as one year, which means helping Latinos dream. And the idea behind the class was to provide, you know, not just accordion lessons, but also music therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>One by one, the students started coming in for the lesson and they are carrying these big black, bulky backpacks. And inside is their accordions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And it was immediately kind of a very convivial atmosphere. Like everyone was excited to see each other. But you could tell people were excited to be there for the music and to see each other and to to have these, you know, this experience together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So you went to Half Moon Bay to see about this program. How did it come about and what is the purpose of it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>You know, ALAS’ intention with it was to use music as therapy and to help students who normally wouldn’t have access to a music class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>ALAS was born from the cultural arts. We were born from political mariachi music celebration, Cultura.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And so Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga is the founder and executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>And we really believe in the power of cultural good to like culture as healing. I’m a clinician, so I do mental health therapy, and we understand that mental health is a big part of our program, along with the cultural arts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>You know, she has made it very clear that the intention is to to use music, not just as this is a fun pastime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>The sensory part of it is so important. We know that in order to heal trauma there, they say that one of the best ways of healing trauma is through sensory integration, and they do a lot of sensory work for trauma survivors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And after the mass shooting in January, Alaska is really trying to think of ways to address the community trauma and to actually bring a program into the fields directly and to connect their labor, you know, their daily existence with art and culture in a way that would promote healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>They’re going out, working the fields, coming home, eating, getting dressed, and then practicing. And so just thinking about how that stimulating them, too, is really impressive. And for us in this work, we see how they’re moving their fingers or having to think in different ways from, you know, stretching out the accordion sound, the music, the scales. It’s a lot that happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, tell me a little bit about some of the people in the class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So the classes, six students, which they told me was on purpose so that it would be a sizable group, but enough that the instructor could focus on each student. And so some of the students in the class were. The youngest one I talked to is 22 years old. There was someone who was into his sixties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>I talked to Yesenia, who lives and works at Gabriel Farms and is a mom and was just really excited to learn to play music so that she could just play her accordion during family gatherings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>Most of the students I talked to had never even picked up an accordion or any instrument. One of those students who had had no musical experience was Pedro Romero Perez, who is a survivor of the mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero Perez: \u003c/strong>*speaking in Spanish*\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>He’s recovering. He’s actually not working right now because of, you know, his healing process. And he did express a lot of appreciation for the program. And, you know, when I asked him, how do you feel about being here, he said he was excited and that it was this calm moment. You know, having these weekly classes was like an opportunity for him to not be at home, to be around other people, to kind of focus on something else besides what happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero Perez: \u003c/strong>*speaking in Spanish*\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>About a week before I visited, ALAS had coordinated a community altar for Delos Martos, and he had put up an altar for his brother who passed away during the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This class is a direct result of the shooting that happened in January. I feel like I totally understand, like the role and idea of music being healing, but why the accordion specifically? Why accordion classes?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So the accordion is a very integral instrument in Mexican music in a lot of different genres. A lot of the students in the class are from Mexico, and these classes were specifically focusing on like norteno music, which is literally means like music from the north and is a specific genre of Mexican music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>But you hear accordion music and popular music and just different genres. So the accordion is a very familiar sound. So when Alan was designing this classic specifically, we’re thinking about how to make it feel comforting and make it reminiscent of home. And, you know, for the music to feel like something you would want to listen to or play when you’re just hanging out with your family on a Sunday afternoon or something like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>It’s that instrument that’s we can say very much that it’s our own. It’s our it’s our instrument, you know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So the instructor is Hernan Hernandez Jr, and his father is one of the members of Lost Egress and Northway, which is a huge Nathaniel band in Mexico. They’ve sold over 36 million records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, for for folks who aren’t familiar with his family’s background, you described it to me yesterday as being like having the son of Mick Jagger teaching you the accordion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>I know. The reason I compared him to sort of being a spy on a like a pretty major band, like The Rolling Stones. I mean, I think that’s, you know, that little sticky desert. They’re just so big in Mexico and they’ve been around for so many decades and had so many hits and and they’ve been around for something like 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>My dad and my uncles are kind of that that tortured that light for it for their people, you know. And so he they kind of always instilled that into us. You know, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day where you come from, we come into this world with nothing and we leave this world with nothing. We’re all born the same way. We all have the same type of blood. And what’s important is that we give back to our people. And so I think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>They actually did a fundraiser for us after the shooting, and that was one of his introductions to to the organization. And so our last thing came to him and said, you know, will you teach this class? And he had never taught music classes, but he was he jumped at it because he just thought it would be a really great opportunity to give back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, what does Hernan say about what he’s seen as an instructor? And I guess like the role that he sees music playing for the students that he’s that he’s teaching in Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>I think for Hernan you know, he talked about how, you know, just spending time with the students and getting to know them and getting to know their stories and just seeing their progress. Right. And it’s not like they’re all trying to be professional musicians or anything like that, but just to see them grow so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>You know, like I said, just anyone who lives here on the farm has two kids and and they’re in there with us learning accordion as well. And they’re listening and they’re watching. And and it’s cool to really just kind of see that, you know, like there’s something that like, like my father showed me pass it down to me, his uncles pass it down to him. And we’re kind of doing the same thing for this next generations, you know, even if they don’t decide to pursue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>The happiness, the satisfaction that you get from seeing that progress as a student and for him as a as an instructor, you know, he talked about how that was that was really special for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>And as Latinos, I think that’s kind of what our community is lacking opportunities. And so that to me is what I see here. You know, this is a great opportunity for them to be able to learn something new, open their minds to something new. And even if it’s not according, that’s going to do it, but or music, but it will guide them into something new and something positive. And at the end of the day, that’s really what we’re trying to do just create a positive environment for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So at one point they wanted to engage in a song and so and non started playing upward. The Nagra, which is a famous song. Everyone was singing along because everyone knows the song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And it’s actually a song about a couple where the parents of the young woman in this couple are keeping her from her love. And the leopard going negative means the black door. In the black door is like a metaphor for the parents keeping her from her true love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What is your biggest takeaway from this story?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So I grew up in an agricultural community in eastern Washington, and I actually when I was a kid, my dad, who worked full time at a potato processing plant, sometimes when he would have summer vacation, he would take me and my siblings out to the cherry harvest, which was during the summer, just to kind of show us like this is what agricultural work is like. This is what it’s like to work with your hands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>We want our strawberries to cost $2 at the supermarket, but somebody had to pick that by hand. That’s honest, decent work that people are doing and should be well compensated for and should be treated as full people. Farm workers aren’t just here to get up at the break of dawn to pick our food, right? They also have interests and families and hobbies and trauma that they’re dealing with and deserve to to also, you know, not be forgotten once the headlines go away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Blanca, thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. I really appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>Thank you, Ericka. And the whole Bay team. This was really fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Blanca Torres, a producer and reporter for KQED. This 28 minute conversation with Blanca was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape. The Bay is a production of member supported KQED in San Francisco. And if you’re not already subscribed to our show on Apple Podcasts or wherever it is, you’re listening, so you never miss a beat. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In January, a gunman killed 7 farmworkers at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay. Months later, one community group has been trying to use accordion classes as a way to help farmworkers heal from the trauma.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Links:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://kqed.applytojob.com/apply/g81IJAEpax/Intern-The-Bay-Podcast\">Apply to be our intern!\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cdiv class=\"card card--enclosed grey\">\n\u003cp id=\"embed-code\" class=\"inconsolata\">\n\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=KQINC2503620378&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Hey, it’s Ericka. Quick little note. The bay is looking for an intern. This is a 16 hour a week paid opportunity to help us make this show. The internship runs from January through June of 2024. So if you’ve got love for local news, the Bay Area and podcasting. Let’s chat. The deadline to apply is November 17th. We’ll give you a link to the application in our show notes. All right. Here’s the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to the bay. Local news to keep you rooted. Most Wednesday nights inside of a red barn in Half Moon Bay, you can hear the sound of farm workers learning how to play the accordion together. It’s a way to learn something new and spend time with people, but it’s also a form of therapy. Back in January, a gunman made his way through two farms, just like this one in Half Moon Bay, killing seven farm workers and completely rocking the community. And even though the camera crews are long gone, the pain of what happened here still lives on, which is why one community group has set up this small program to help these farmworkers heal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>You know, I think that music elevates a soul. It speaks to the soul. It brings in memories of harm, calls to the joy. Sadness, too. But it’s also like a central language, I think, of healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Today, we take you inside the program in Half Moon Bay that’s offering healing through music. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So I went to Cabrillo Farms and Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Blanca Torres is a producer and reporter for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>It’s right off Highway one. I drive down this dirt road and it’s lined by fields on each side, and there’s all this beautiful produce growing out of the ground. I arrived at this barn, you know, it’s just a regular farm. So I went to real farms to observe a music class for farm workers that was sponsored by Atlas, which stands for Uganda Latinos as one year, which means helping Latinos dream. And the idea behind the class was to provide, you know, not just accordion lessons, but also music therapy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>One by one, the students started coming in for the lesson and they are carrying these big black, bulky backpacks. And inside is their accordions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And it was immediately kind of a very convivial atmosphere. Like everyone was excited to see each other. But you could tell people were excited to be there for the music and to see each other and to to have these, you know, this experience together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>So you went to Half Moon Bay to see about this program. How did it come about and what is the purpose of it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>You know, ALAS’ intention with it was to use music as therapy and to help students who normally wouldn’t have access to a music class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>ALAS was born from the cultural arts. We were born from political mariachi music celebration, Cultura.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And so Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga is the founder and executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>And we really believe in the power of cultural good to like culture as healing. I’m a clinician, so I do mental health therapy, and we understand that mental health is a big part of our program, along with the cultural arts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>You know, she has made it very clear that the intention is to to use music, not just as this is a fun pastime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>The sensory part of it is so important. We know that in order to heal trauma there, they say that one of the best ways of healing trauma is through sensory integration, and they do a lot of sensory work for trauma survivors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And after the mass shooting in January, Alaska is really trying to think of ways to address the community trauma and to actually bring a program into the fields directly and to connect their labor, you know, their daily existence with art and culture in a way that would promote healing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga: \u003c/strong>They’re going out, working the fields, coming home, eating, getting dressed, and then practicing. And so just thinking about how that stimulating them, too, is really impressive. And for us in this work, we see how they’re moving their fingers or having to think in different ways from, you know, stretching out the accordion sound, the music, the scales. It’s a lot that happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, tell me a little bit about some of the people in the class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So the classes, six students, which they told me was on purpose so that it would be a sizable group, but enough that the instructor could focus on each student. And so some of the students in the class were. The youngest one I talked to is 22 years old. There was someone who was into his sixties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>I talked to Yesenia, who lives and works at Gabriel Farms and is a mom and was just really excited to learn to play music so that she could just play her accordion during family gatherings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>Most of the students I talked to had never even picked up an accordion or any instrument. One of those students who had had no musical experience was Pedro Romero Perez, who is a survivor of the mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero Perez: \u003c/strong>*speaking in Spanish*\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>He’s recovering. He’s actually not working right now because of, you know, his healing process. And he did express a lot of appreciation for the program. And, you know, when I asked him, how do you feel about being here, he said he was excited and that it was this calm moment. You know, having these weekly classes was like an opportunity for him to not be at home, to be around other people, to kind of focus on something else besides what happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pedro Romero Perez: \u003c/strong>*speaking in Spanish*\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>About a week before I visited, ALAS had coordinated a community altar for Delos Martos, and he had put up an altar for his brother who passed away during the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>This class is a direct result of the shooting that happened in January. I feel like I totally understand, like the role and idea of music being healing, but why the accordion specifically? Why accordion classes?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So the accordion is a very integral instrument in Mexican music in a lot of different genres. A lot of the students in the class are from Mexico, and these classes were specifically focusing on like norteno music, which is literally means like music from the north and is a specific genre of Mexican music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>But you hear accordion music and popular music and just different genres. So the accordion is a very familiar sound. So when Alan was designing this classic specifically, we’re thinking about how to make it feel comforting and make it reminiscent of home. And, you know, for the music to feel like something you would want to listen to or play when you’re just hanging out with your family on a Sunday afternoon or something like that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>It’s that instrument that’s we can say very much that it’s our own. It’s our it’s our instrument, you know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So the instructor is Hernan Hernandez Jr, and his father is one of the members of Lost Egress and Northway, which is a huge Nathaniel band in Mexico. They’ve sold over 36 million records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, for for folks who aren’t familiar with his family’s background, you described it to me yesterday as being like having the son of Mick Jagger teaching you the accordion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>I know. The reason I compared him to sort of being a spy on a like a pretty major band, like The Rolling Stones. I mean, I think that’s, you know, that little sticky desert. They’re just so big in Mexico and they’ve been around for so many decades and had so many hits and and they’ve been around for something like 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>My dad and my uncles are kind of that that tortured that light for it for their people, you know. And so he they kind of always instilled that into us. You know, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day where you come from, we come into this world with nothing and we leave this world with nothing. We’re all born the same way. We all have the same type of blood. And what’s important is that we give back to our people. And so I think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>They actually did a fundraiser for us after the shooting, and that was one of his introductions to to the organization. And so our last thing came to him and said, you know, will you teach this class? And he had never taught music classes, but he was he jumped at it because he just thought it would be a really great opportunity to give back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>I mean, what does Hernan say about what he’s seen as an instructor? And I guess like the role that he sees music playing for the students that he’s that he’s teaching in Half Moon Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>I think for Hernan you know, he talked about how, you know, just spending time with the students and getting to know them and getting to know their stories and just seeing their progress. Right. And it’s not like they’re all trying to be professional musicians or anything like that, but just to see them grow so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>You know, like I said, just anyone who lives here on the farm has two kids and and they’re in there with us learning accordion as well. And they’re listening and they’re watching. And and it’s cool to really just kind of see that, you know, like there’s something that like, like my father showed me pass it down to me, his uncles pass it down to him. And we’re kind of doing the same thing for this next generations, you know, even if they don’t decide to pursue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>The happiness, the satisfaction that you get from seeing that progress as a student and for him as a as an instructor, you know, he talked about how that was that was really special for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hernan Hernandez Jr: \u003c/strong>And as Latinos, I think that’s kind of what our community is lacking opportunities. And so that to me is what I see here. You know, this is a great opportunity for them to be able to learn something new, open their minds to something new. And even if it’s not according, that’s going to do it, but or music, but it will guide them into something new and something positive. And at the end of the day, that’s really what we’re trying to do just create a positive environment for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So at one point they wanted to engage in a song and so and non started playing upward. The Nagra, which is a famous song. Everyone was singing along because everyone knows the song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>And it’s actually a song about a couple where the parents of the young woman in this couple are keeping her from her love. And the leopard going negative means the black door. In the black door is like a metaphor for the parents keeping her from her true love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>What is your biggest takeaway from this story?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>So I grew up in an agricultural community in eastern Washington, and I actually when I was a kid, my dad, who worked full time at a potato processing plant, sometimes when he would have summer vacation, he would take me and my siblings out to the cherry harvest, which was during the summer, just to kind of show us like this is what agricultural work is like. This is what it’s like to work with your hands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>We want our strawberries to cost $2 at the supermarket, but somebody had to pick that by hand. That’s honest, decent work that people are doing and should be well compensated for and should be treated as full people. Farm workers aren’t just here to get up at the break of dawn to pick our food, right? They also have interests and families and hobbies and trauma that they’re dealing with and deserve to to also, you know, not be forgotten once the headlines go away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>Well, Blanca, thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. I really appreciate it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Blanca Torres: \u003c/strong>Thank you, Ericka. And the whole Bay team. This was really fun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>That was Blanca Torres, a producer and reporter for KQED. This 28 minute conversation with Blanca was cut down and edited by senior editor Alan Montecillo. Maria Esquinca is our producer. She scored this episode and added all the tape. The Bay is a production of member supported KQED in San Francisco. And if you’re not already subscribed to our show on Apple Podcasts or wherever it is, you’re listening, so you never miss a beat. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"slug": "how-central-valley-farmworker-communities-are-tackling-climate-change",
"title": "How Central Valley Farmworker Communities Are Tackling Climate Change",
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"headTitle": "How Central Valley Farmworker Communities Are Tackling Climate Change | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A rural community on the banks of the San Joaquin River was spared from flooding during last winter’s powerful storms after hundreds of acres of former farmland were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965257/california-looks-to-restore-floodplains-to-protect-communities-from-impacts-of-climate-change\">restored to their natural state as floodplains\u003c/a>, giving the rising water a place to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An immigrant family in the Central Valley city of Tulare got relief from 100-degree heat and sky-high energy bills with insulation and energy retrofits installed under a state program to weatherize the homes of low-income farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A small town mayor in a region with some of the most polluted air in the nation launched a free rideshare program with a fleet of electric vehicles — the first step in his goal of creating hundreds of green jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are a few of the climate resilience strategies emerging in hard-hit agricultural communities in California’s Central Valley, supported by state and federal funds that could enable local initiatives to scale up. But the very places that need help the most may have the hardest time accessing the funding available, \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/aYv2COYZQzi2BvYEskPu2V?domain=next10.org\">research shows\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents of San Joaquin Valley face a barrage of challenges as the planet warms and weather patterns shift, often with catastrophic results. Land development has been engineered over decades to maximize agricultural productivity, with little attention to environmental resilience. And low-income immigrant workers, who are the backbone of this economy, are on the front lines, living in communities that lack resources and critical infrastructure to cope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer temperatures throughout the valley routinely spike into triple digits, making outdoor work dangerous and shoddily built homes stifling. Wildfires repeatedly blanket the region with smoke, exacerbating the air pollution that leads to the state’s worst rates of asthma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966814\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966814\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A dry field with an irrigation channel alongside it.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An irrigation channel carries water to new plantings in the recently restored floodplain on the banks of the San Joaquin River near Grayson, Calif., on Aug. 31. The restoration work was conducted by the nonprofit River Partners to allow the fast-moving river to spread out over a wider expanse, diminishing its destructive force and preventing catastrophic flooding. \u003ccite>(Tyche Hendricks/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Violent floods wash away homes and livelihoods in communities with neglected levees and insufficient storm drains. And recurring drought contributes to the fact that most of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2021-118/index.html\">nearly 1 million Californians who lack access to safe drinking water\u003c/a> live in the Central Valley. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Pablo Ortiz-Partida, senior water and climate scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists\"]‘The biggest problem is the combination of things: farmworker communities not having a rest from one climate impact to another.’[/pullquote]“The biggest problem is the combination of things: farmworker communities not having a rest from one climate impact to another,” said Pablo Ortiz-Partida, senior water and climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “All these things start interconnecting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortiz-Partida said policymakers must listen to those who live with these impacts daily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There needs to be some top-down solutions, but also some bottom-up solutions,” he said. “How can we start that process of equitable transition to cleaner energies? … How can we start bringing a new, more sustainable vision of agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Left behind in the clean energy transition\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has established itself as a national leader in climate policy. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.nrdc.org/bio/merrian-borgeson/ca-climate-energy-policy-update-summer-2023\">Natural Resources Defense Council estimates\u003c/a> the state has committed to spend more than $52 billion over the next several years to \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan/2022-scoping-plan-documents\">transition off fossil fuels\u003c/a> and tackle the effects of climate change. That’s in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Act and \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/California.pdf\">Inflation Reduction Act\u003c/a> that will soon flow to the state to fight climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet low-income immigrant communities in rural areas that are among the most impacted have not always seen the benefit — and could be at risk of losing out again. [aside postID=news_11943590 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/CalMatters_01-1020x680.jpg'] A \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/publications/local-climate\">new report\u003c/a> from UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment, and two nonprofits — the Institute for Local Government and Next 10 — found that many California municipalities, especially smaller ones, need to staff up and develop detailed climate action plans if they want a shot at competitive grants for the unprecedented funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the state faces worsening impacts from climate change, local governments are the front-line defense for our communities,” said F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10. “We need to identify the barriers cities and counties face so we can take full advantage of the historic federal and state funding available to better protect ourselves now and in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Anna Caballero represents some of the San Joaquin Valley’s poorest places and said climate policies don’t work if they only benefit wealthier residents of coastal cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s seen plenty of well-intentioned climate programs miss the mark for her Central Valley constituents. One example is rebates for purchasing electric cars and solar panels, which require paying the full price upfront and getting the discount later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The urgency of getting this right and including rural communities in our discussion about climate change is that we’re going to end up with two separate worlds,” she said. “If you can afford it, you have an electric vehicle and a solar rooftop. And if you can’t, there’s nothing for you. There’s no job. There’s no way to pay your bills. And your community has no way of sustaining itself.” [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"State Sen. Anna Caballero\"]‘If you can afford it, you have an electric vehicle and a solar rooftop. And if you can’t, there’s nothing for you.’[/pullquote]The region’s economy is dominated by agriculture and fossil fuel extraction industries, whose leaders trend Republican and have often resisted Democratic moves to slash carbon emissions and protect water and ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, 55% of the San Joaquin Valley’s 4.3 million residents live in disadvantaged communities, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/CA4_CCA_SJ_Region_Eng_ada.pdf\">California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment\u003c/a> for the region. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/naws/pdfs/NAWS%20Research%20Report%2015.pdf\">Among California farmworkers, 9 in 10 are immigrants\u003c/a>, and 8 in 10 are not citizens. Though their labor is essential, and many have lived here for decades, they can’t vote, so their voices and experiences aren’t always represented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet Caballero, a Democrat, and many other lawmakers and advocates have been pushing for equitable solutions, and some are beginning to bear fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The river is their backyard’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The unincorporated community of Grayson, on the west bank of the San Joaquin River, is just five-by-six blocks. The only business, The One-Stop, is a gas station, convenience store, lunch counter and laundromat rolled into one. Residents rely on wells for drinking water that are often contaminated with agricultural chemicals from surrounding fields. Flooding has long been a risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lilia Lomelí-Gil, who runs the Grayson United Community Center, pointed out some older homes on Charles Street, where the water rose ominously as rain pounded the region last winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966813\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person with long hair stands in front of a dry field.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lilia Lomelí-Gil walks along the recently restored floodplain on the banks of the San Joaquin River near her home in Grayson, Calif., on Aug. 31. Lomelí-Gil, who runs the Grayson United Community Center, said the natural floodplain protected Grayson from flooding last winter and creates a place where community residents can get closer to nature. \u003ccite>(Tyche Hendricks/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The river is their backyard,” she said. “The lady that lives right there in that little house was at risk of getting flooded. It did go up to their yard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lomelí-Gil, 71, knows that risk firsthand. Back in 1997, she was living in nearby Modesto when \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXEza6kPyFk\">a massive flood hit on New Year’s Day\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lost my home,” she said. “Because the waters came in 4-feet high. And since we were downriver from the sewage plant, of course, it was all contaminated waters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She salvaged what she could and moved back to Grayson, where she’d grown up the daughter of farmworkers from Mexico. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Lilia Lomelí-Gil, co-founder, Grayson United Community Center\"]‘Going back to nature … It works with mental health and your physical health and your spiritual health. I think that triangle is the key to facing life’s challenges.’[/pullquote]During last winter’s storms, levees failed and catastrophic floods devastated other farmworker communities, like Pajaro and Planada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Grayson, the San Joaquin River surged, but the outcome was very different: the town did not flood. One reason? A \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/28/1178441292/flood-protection-california\">recent floodplain restoration project\u003c/a> allowed the fast-moving river to spread over a wider expanse, diminishing its destructive force.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work was done by \u003ca href=\"https://riverpartners.org\">River Partners\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization that restores riverside habitats around California. The group purchased unused farmland abutting the river, then removed the earthen berms holding the water in its channel. Dozens of people from the local community, including Lomelí-Gil, got involved in planting native tree saplings and grasses to restore wildlife habitat in the new floodplain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent weekday, Lomelí-Gil tramped down an abandoned road at the end of Minnie Street to show off the plantings. Once the work is complete, she said, she’s looking forward to taking kids and seniors from the community center out to walk along trails by the river.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Going back to nature … It works with mental health and your physical health and your spiritual health,” she said, stopping to listen to the sound of the birds and the babbling water. “I think that triangle is the key to facing life’s challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Removing levees to allow floods to flow across fallow farmland is a low-tech solution with significant payoffs, River Partners executive director Julie Rentner said. It not only reduces flood risk and expands wildlife habitat and space for recreation, but it refills underground aquifers that have been depleted by decades of over-pumping — and that should lead to cleaner drinking water for Lomelí-Gil and her neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar projects will soon break ground. In the wake of last winter’s storms, state lawmakers budgeted nearly half a billion dollars to shore up levees and rebuild damaged communities. Tucked in there was $40 million for River Partners to restore natural floodplains on 2,500 more acres elsewhere along the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That money is only a downpayment on what’s ultimately needed, Rentner said, but it’s an important step that could be a game-changer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s thinking more holistically about how we manage our water and our soil and our communities,” she said. ”So that we can find solutions to climate resilience that benefit us all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Weatherization on steroids’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Extreme heat is another consequence of climate change hitting the San Joaquin Valley hard. Scientists calculate that annual average maximum \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/CA4_CCA_SJ_Region_Eng_ada.pdf\">temperatures increased by 1F from 1950 to 2020\u003c/a>. In 2021, Fresno experienced \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/media/hnx/SEPTEMBER%202021%20WEATHER%20SUMMARY.pdf\">a record 69 straight days with temperatures over 100F\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside the little city of Tulare, nearly three hours south of Grayson, Arturo Yañez, 55, unloads crates of kiwis and pomegranates. He said in the three decades he’s lived in the valley, he’s felt it get a little hotter each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966816\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a baseball cap looks at photos on a shelf inside a home.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arturo Yañez looks at family photos at his home in Tulare on Aug. 31. He received home weatherization and solar panels through a state program for green energy retrofits for farmworkers’ households. \u003ccite>(Tyche Hendricks/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This year, too, it was extremely hot,” he said in Spanish. “To work in these temperatures is tough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help mitigate the heat, California uses funds from the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/california-climate-investments\">cap-and-trade program\u003c/a> to weatherize homes of low-income families, with some of that money \u003ca href=\"https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/Farmworker-Housing-Component.aspx\">carved out for the small percentage of farmworkers who are homeowners\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yañez is one of them. On a late summer afternoon, he showed where a crew had laid insulation in his attic and installed ceiling fans. An efficient, electric air-conditioning system was on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the thermometer outdoors still reading 103 F at 5 p.m., those measures would make the house more comfortable, he said, and keep his energy costs more manageable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes, it’s tough to cover all the bills,” he said, adding that when it’s too hot to safely work outside, farmworkers are sent home early, costing them hours on their paychecks. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Arturo Yañez, San Joaquin Valley resident\"]‘We’ll be saving energy. And we can help reduce global warming too.’[/pullquote]Yañez had also applied for solar panels through the weatherization program, and that afternoon he learned that he’d qualified. His face lit up in relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s wonderful!” he said. “We’ll be saving energy. And we can help reduce global warming too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caballero said efforts like these are exactly what the valley needs but they must expand rapidly, to include hundreds of thousands of farmworker families who rent, often in shoddy homes with poor insulation and no air conditioning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s kind of ‘weatherization on steroids,’” she said. “The benefits could be very, very powerful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office published an \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Climate-Resilience/2022-Final-Extreme-Heat-Action-Plan.pdf\">extreme heat action plan\u003c/a>, and the legislature budgeted $1.1 billion for “decarbonization” retrofits in the homes of low- and moderate-income Californians, such as electric appliances and heat pumps for heating and cooling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Caballero wrote a bill, signed by Gov. Newsom, to monitor where those funds are spent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to make sure that, with limited funds, we started with the communities that had the worst extreme heat,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Building a greener economy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the town of Huron, becoming more climate resilient is also about creating new jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surrounded by tomato fields and almond orchards, the Fresno County town of about 6,000 is not the kind of place you’d expect to see Teslas and Chevy Volts. The poverty rate is 40%, and just 3 in 10 adults have finished high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960228\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11960228\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"A person with a moustache and wearing a baseball cap stands in front of a white car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huron Mayor Rey León stands near an electric vehicle outside the Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute offices, known as LEAP, in Huron, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yet, from a former diesel garage on an alley behind the struggling main street, a busy rideshare service dispatches drivers in shiny electric cars to ferry Huron residents to the doctor and other appointments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The free program is called \u003ca href=\"https://greenraiteros.org\">Green Raiteros\u003c/a>, a play on the Spanish slang for someone who gives rides. The five-year-old project is the brainchild of Rey León, founding director of the nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://theleapinstitute.org\">Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute\u003c/a>, or LEAP. Green Raiteros is funded with state grants. And drivers are employees, not gig workers, with pay starting at $18 per hour, according to LEAP staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>León, who’s also Huron’s mayor, said the program is part of his vision of meeting basic needs like transportation while leaning into the green economy. The hope is to both reduce emissions and create jobs, preparing the workforce as climate change-induced drought disrupts the agricultural economy of the Central Valley. [pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Huron Mayor Rey León\"]‘Huron is in an area that’s been not just drought-stricken, but poverty-stricken for a very long time.’[/pullquote]“Huron is in an area that’s been not just drought-stricken, but poverty-stricken for a very long time,” said León, sitting in his office upstairs from the dispatchers. “We hope we can make the investments necessary to employ, empower and really animate folks from the community to advance their economy — with innovative technologies so that we can simultaneously fight the climate crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>León sees the physical health of his community as intertwined with its economic health — and both as inextricably linked with the health of the environment where they live: \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/california-has-some-of-the-worst-air-quality-in-the-country-the-problem-is-rooted-in-the-san-joaquin-valley\">one of the most contaminated air basins in the nation\u003c/a>. Huron residents breathe air that carries dust from the fields, pesticides and smog from nearby Interstate 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among other efforts, León has installed 30 EV charging stations around town, planted 300 street trees and enacted measures to promote water conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, León is aware that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kvpr.org/environment/2022-11-03/amid-californias-three-year-drought-a-san-joaquin-valley-farmworker-considers-seeking-work-outside-the-region\">tens of thousands of agricultural jobs could dry up\u003c/a> in coming years, as climate-change-fueled drought persists and environmental laws to restore depleted aquifers take effect. The LEAP headquarters on the alley is an incubator for projects he hopes will eventually lead to hundreds of well-paying jobs in manufacturing and environmental stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960224\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11960224\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"A person wearing a baseball cap looks out the window from the backseat of a car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enrique Contreras gets a ride in an all-electric vehicle from the Green Raiteros rideshare program in Huron, Calif., to a doctor’s appointment on Sept. 1, 2023. The program is run by Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute offices, known as Leap. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In one bay of the garage, several men were building prototypes of portable trailers with solar panels on top, that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.grants.ca.gov/grants/gfo-20-310-mobile-renewable-backup-generation-morbugs/\">California Energy Commission hopes can serve as emergency shelters\u003c/a> and power stations, to deploy during wildfires or other disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in a greenhouse behind the garage, two workers are running an experiment, funded by the USDA, to test a liquid organic fertilizer on tomatoes — with hopes of scaling up production and using local agricultural waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Huron’s mayor, León is also \u003ca href=\"https://www.grants.ca.gov/grants/gfo-20-310-mobile-renewable-backup-generation-morbugs/\">scoping the possibility of developing a park\u003c/a> and nature conservancy on 3,000 acres of overgrown federal land just outside of town. He envisions replenishing the underground aquifer there using the town’s treated wastewater, and employing residents to build trails and plant native trees grown in LEAP greenhouses.\u003cbr>\n[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Solange Gould, co-director, Human Impact Partners\"]‘There’s a lot of funding, but the state needs to provide more technical assistance to Central Valley groups to be able to access that money.’[/pullquote]León’s dreams are big, but they’ll take more money, political muscle and capacity building to realize. He knows they won’t happen overnight and, for now, he’s experimenting at a small scale. The Green Raiteros fleet in Huron has 11 cars, but state grants are funding an expansion, with five additional vehicles in Fresno and three more in the Salinas Valley town of Pajaro. In a poor community like his, León said, such government funding has been essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If not for the resources provided by state agencies, it really wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “We’re farmworkers and, traditionally, farmworkers have never been afforded the privilege of being able to build up wealth. … We hope that with the projects we’re doing, they could see them as pilots for what could be done in similar communities throughout the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small farming towns like Huron have had some success winning competitive grants. But even with all the new money flowing from state and federal governments, it often goes to big cities and large nonprofits with sophisticated fundraising operations, leaving small, rural places at a disadvantage — even if their need is intense, some advocates say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are dire inequities on every measure of human wellbeing in the Central Valley because of past and current policies and disinvestment,” said Solange Gould, co-director of Human Impact Partners, a nonprofit that advocates for health equity. “There’s a lot of funding, but the state needs to provide more technical assistance to Central Valley groups to be able to access that money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A rural community on the banks of the San Joaquin River was spared from flooding during last winter’s powerful storms after hundreds of acres of former farmland were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965257/california-looks-to-restore-floodplains-to-protect-communities-from-impacts-of-climate-change\">restored to their natural state as floodplains\u003c/a>, giving the rising water a place to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An immigrant family in the Central Valley city of Tulare got relief from 100-degree heat and sky-high energy bills with insulation and energy retrofits installed under a state program to weatherize the homes of low-income farmworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A small town mayor in a region with some of the most polluted air in the nation launched a free rideshare program with a fleet of electric vehicles — the first step in his goal of creating hundreds of green jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These are a few of the climate resilience strategies emerging in hard-hit agricultural communities in California’s Central Valley, supported by state and federal funds that could enable local initiatives to scale up. But the very places that need help the most may have the hardest time accessing the funding available, \u003ca href=\"https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/aYv2COYZQzi2BvYEskPu2V?domain=next10.org\">research shows\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents of San Joaquin Valley face a barrage of challenges as the planet warms and weather patterns shift, often with catastrophic results. Land development has been engineered over decades to maximize agricultural productivity, with little attention to environmental resilience. And low-income immigrant workers, who are the backbone of this economy, are on the front lines, living in communities that lack resources and critical infrastructure to cope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer temperatures throughout the valley routinely spike into triple digits, making outdoor work dangerous and shoddily built homes stifling. Wildfires repeatedly blanket the region with smoke, exacerbating the air pollution that leads to the state’s worst rates of asthma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966814\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966814\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A dry field with an irrigation channel alongside it.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An irrigation channel carries water to new plantings in the recently restored floodplain on the banks of the San Joaquin River near Grayson, Calif., on Aug. 31. The restoration work was conducted by the nonprofit River Partners to allow the fast-moving river to spread out over a wider expanse, diminishing its destructive force and preventing catastrophic flooding. \u003ccite>(Tyche Hendricks/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Violent floods wash away homes and livelihoods in communities with neglected levees and insufficient storm drains. And recurring drought contributes to the fact that most of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2021-118/index.html\">nearly 1 million Californians who lack access to safe drinking water\u003c/a> live in the Central Valley. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The biggest problem is the combination of things: farmworker communities not having a rest from one climate impact to another.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The biggest problem is the combination of things: farmworker communities not having a rest from one climate impact to another,” said Pablo Ortiz-Partida, senior water and climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “All these things start interconnecting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ortiz-Partida said policymakers must listen to those who live with these impacts daily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There needs to be some top-down solutions, but also some bottom-up solutions,” he said. “How can we start that process of equitable transition to cleaner energies? … How can we start bringing a new, more sustainable vision of agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Left behind in the clean energy transition\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California has established itself as a national leader in climate policy. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.nrdc.org/bio/merrian-borgeson/ca-climate-energy-policy-update-summer-2023\">Natural Resources Defense Council estimates\u003c/a> the state has committed to spend more than $52 billion over the next several years to \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan/2022-scoping-plan-documents\">transition off fossil fuels\u003c/a> and tackle the effects of climate change. That’s in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Act and \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/California.pdf\">Inflation Reduction Act\u003c/a> that will soon flow to the state to fight climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet low-income immigrant communities in rural areas that are among the most impacted have not always seen the benefit — and could be at risk of losing out again. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> A \u003ca href=\"https://www.next10.org/publications/local-climate\">new report\u003c/a> from UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment, and two nonprofits — the Institute for Local Government and Next 10 — found that many California municipalities, especially smaller ones, need to staff up and develop detailed climate action plans if they want a shot at competitive grants for the unprecedented funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the state faces worsening impacts from climate change, local governments are the front-line defense for our communities,” said F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10. “We need to identify the barriers cities and counties face so we can take full advantage of the historic federal and state funding available to better protect ourselves now and in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Sen. Anna Caballero represents some of the San Joaquin Valley’s poorest places and said climate policies don’t work if they only benefit wealthier residents of coastal cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s seen plenty of well-intentioned climate programs miss the mark for her Central Valley constituents. One example is rebates for purchasing electric cars and solar panels, which require paying the full price upfront and getting the discount later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The urgency of getting this right and including rural communities in our discussion about climate change is that we’re going to end up with two separate worlds,” she said. “If you can afford it, you have an electric vehicle and a solar rooftop. And if you can’t, there’s nothing for you. There’s no job. There’s no way to pay your bills. And your community has no way of sustaining itself.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The region’s economy is dominated by agriculture and fossil fuel extraction industries, whose leaders trend Republican and have often resisted Democratic moves to slash carbon emissions and protect water and ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, 55% of the San Joaquin Valley’s 4.3 million residents live in disadvantaged communities, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/CA4_CCA_SJ_Region_Eng_ada.pdf\">California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment\u003c/a> for the region. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/naws/pdfs/NAWS%20Research%20Report%2015.pdf\">Among California farmworkers, 9 in 10 are immigrants\u003c/a>, and 8 in 10 are not citizens. Though their labor is essential, and many have lived here for decades, they can’t vote, so their voices and experiences aren’t always represented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet Caballero, a Democrat, and many other lawmakers and advocates have been pushing for equitable solutions, and some are beginning to bear fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The river is their backyard’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The unincorporated community of Grayson, on the west bank of the San Joaquin River, is just five-by-six blocks. The only business, The One-Stop, is a gas station, convenience store, lunch counter and laundromat rolled into one. Residents rely on wells for drinking water that are often contaminated with agricultural chemicals from surrounding fields. Flooding has long been a risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lilia Lomelí-Gil, who runs the Grayson United Community Center, pointed out some older homes on Charles Street, where the water rose ominously as rain pounded the region last winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966813\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person with long hair stands in front of a dry field.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lilia Lomelí-Gil walks along the recently restored floodplain on the banks of the San Joaquin River near her home in Grayson, Calif., on Aug. 31. Lomelí-Gil, who runs the Grayson United Community Center, said the natural floodplain protected Grayson from flooding last winter and creates a place where community residents can get closer to nature. \u003ccite>(Tyche Hendricks/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The river is their backyard,” she said. “The lady that lives right there in that little house was at risk of getting flooded. It did go up to their yard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lomelí-Gil, 71, knows that risk firsthand. Back in 1997, she was living in nearby Modesto when \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXEza6kPyFk\">a massive flood hit on New Year’s Day\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I lost my home,” she said. “Because the waters came in 4-feet high. And since we were downriver from the sewage plant, of course, it was all contaminated waters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She salvaged what she could and moved back to Grayson, where she’d grown up the daughter of farmworkers from Mexico. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Going back to nature … It works with mental health and your physical health and your spiritual health. I think that triangle is the key to facing life’s challenges.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>During last winter’s storms, levees failed and catastrophic floods devastated other farmworker communities, like Pajaro and Planada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Grayson, the San Joaquin River surged, but the outcome was very different: the town did not flood. One reason? A \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/28/1178441292/flood-protection-california\">recent floodplain restoration project\u003c/a> allowed the fast-moving river to spread over a wider expanse, diminishing its destructive force.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The work was done by \u003ca href=\"https://riverpartners.org\">River Partners\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization that restores riverside habitats around California. The group purchased unused farmland abutting the river, then removed the earthen berms holding the water in its channel. Dozens of people from the local community, including Lomelí-Gil, got involved in planting native tree saplings and grasses to restore wildlife habitat in the new floodplain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a recent weekday, Lomelí-Gil tramped down an abandoned road at the end of Minnie Street to show off the plantings. Once the work is complete, she said, she’s looking forward to taking kids and seniors from the community center out to walk along trails by the river.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Going back to nature … It works with mental health and your physical health and your spiritual health,” she said, stopping to listen to the sound of the birds and the babbling water. “I think that triangle is the key to facing life’s challenges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Removing levees to allow floods to flow across fallow farmland is a low-tech solution with significant payoffs, River Partners executive director Julie Rentner said. It not only reduces flood risk and expands wildlife habitat and space for recreation, but it refills underground aquifers that have been depleted by decades of over-pumping — and that should lead to cleaner drinking water for Lomelí-Gil and her neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar projects will soon break ground. In the wake of last winter’s storms, state lawmakers budgeted nearly half a billion dollars to shore up levees and rebuild damaged communities. Tucked in there was $40 million for River Partners to restore natural floodplains on 2,500 more acres elsewhere along the San Joaquin River.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That money is only a downpayment on what’s ultimately needed, Rentner said, but it’s an important step that could be a game-changer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s thinking more holistically about how we manage our water and our soil and our communities,” she said. ”So that we can find solutions to climate resilience that benefit us all.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Weatherization on steroids’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Extreme heat is another consequence of climate change hitting the San Joaquin Valley hard. Scientists calculate that annual average maximum \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/CA4_CCA_SJ_Region_Eng_ada.pdf\">temperatures increased by 1F from 1950 to 2020\u003c/a>. In 2021, Fresno experienced \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/media/hnx/SEPTEMBER%202021%20WEATHER%20SUMMARY.pdf\">a record 69 straight days with temperatures over 100F\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside the little city of Tulare, nearly three hours south of Grayson, Arturo Yañez, 55, unloads crates of kiwis and pomegranates. He said in the three decades he’s lived in the valley, he’s felt it get a little hotter each year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11966816\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11966816\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a baseball cap looks at photos on a shelf inside a home.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231108-CLIMATE-FLOODPLAIN-TH-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arturo Yañez looks at family photos at his home in Tulare on Aug. 31. He received home weatherization and solar panels through a state program for green energy retrofits for farmworkers’ households. \u003ccite>(Tyche Hendricks/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This year, too, it was extremely hot,” he said in Spanish. “To work in these temperatures is tough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help mitigate the heat, California uses funds from the state’s \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/california-climate-investments\">cap-and-trade program\u003c/a> to weatherize homes of low-income families, with some of that money \u003ca href=\"https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/Farmworker-Housing-Component.aspx\">carved out for the small percentage of farmworkers who are homeowners\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yañez is one of them. On a late summer afternoon, he showed where a crew had laid insulation in his attic and installed ceiling fans. An efficient, electric air-conditioning system was on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the thermometer outdoors still reading 103 F at 5 p.m., those measures would make the house more comfortable, he said, and keep his energy costs more manageable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes, it’s tough to cover all the bills,” he said, adding that when it’s too hot to safely work outside, farmworkers are sent home early, costing them hours on their paychecks. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Yañez had also applied for solar panels through the weatherization program, and that afternoon he learned that he’d qualified. His face lit up in relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s wonderful!” he said. “We’ll be saving energy. And we can help reduce global warming too.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caballero said efforts like these are exactly what the valley needs but they must expand rapidly, to include hundreds of thousands of farmworker families who rent, often in shoddy homes with poor insulation and no air conditioning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s kind of ‘weatherization on steroids,’” she said. “The benefits could be very, very powerful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office published an \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Climate-Resilience/2022-Final-Extreme-Heat-Action-Plan.pdf\">extreme heat action plan\u003c/a>, and the legislature budgeted $1.1 billion for “decarbonization” retrofits in the homes of low- and moderate-income Californians, such as electric appliances and heat pumps for heating and cooling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, Caballero wrote a bill, signed by Gov. Newsom, to monitor where those funds are spent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We wanted to make sure that, with limited funds, we started with the communities that had the worst extreme heat,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Building a greener economy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the town of Huron, becoming more climate resilient is also about creating new jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surrounded by tomato fields and almond orchards, the Fresno County town of about 6,000 is not the kind of place you’d expect to see Teslas and Chevy Volts. The poverty rate is 40%, and just 3 in 10 adults have finished high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960228\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11960228\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"A person with a moustache and wearing a baseball cap stands in front of a white car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68672_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-50-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Huron Mayor Rey León stands near an electric vehicle outside the Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute offices, known as LEAP, in Huron, Calif., on Sept. 1, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Yet, from a former diesel garage on an alley behind the struggling main street, a busy rideshare service dispatches drivers in shiny electric cars to ferry Huron residents to the doctor and other appointments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The free program is called \u003ca href=\"https://greenraiteros.org\">Green Raiteros\u003c/a>, a play on the Spanish slang for someone who gives rides. The five-year-old project is the brainchild of Rey León, founding director of the nonprofit \u003ca href=\"https://theleapinstitute.org\">Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute\u003c/a>, or LEAP. Green Raiteros is funded with state grants. And drivers are employees, not gig workers, with pay starting at $18 per hour, according to LEAP staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>León, who’s also Huron’s mayor, said the program is part of his vision of meeting basic needs like transportation while leaning into the green economy. The hope is to both reduce emissions and create jobs, preparing the workforce as climate change-induced drought disrupts the agricultural economy of the Central Valley. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Huron is in an area that’s been not just drought-stricken, but poverty-stricken for a very long time.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Huron is in an area that’s been not just drought-stricken, but poverty-stricken for a very long time,” said León, sitting in his office upstairs from the dispatchers. “We hope we can make the investments necessary to employ, empower and really animate folks from the community to advance their economy — with innovative technologies so that we can simultaneously fight the climate crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>León sees the physical health of his community as intertwined with its economic health — and both as inextricably linked with the health of the environment where they live: \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/california-has-some-of-the-worst-air-quality-in-the-country-the-problem-is-rooted-in-the-san-joaquin-valley\">one of the most contaminated air basins in the nation\u003c/a>. Huron residents breathe air that carries dust from the fields, pesticides and smog from nearby Interstate 5.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among other efforts, León has installed 30 EV charging stations around town, planted 300 street trees and enacted measures to promote water conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, León is aware that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kvpr.org/environment/2022-11-03/amid-californias-three-year-drought-a-san-joaquin-valley-farmworker-considers-seeking-work-outside-the-region\">tens of thousands of agricultural jobs could dry up\u003c/a> in coming years, as climate-change-fueled drought persists and environmental laws to restore depleted aquifers take effect. The LEAP headquarters on the alley is an incubator for projects he hopes will eventually lead to hundreds of well-paying jobs in manufacturing and environmental stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960224\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11960224\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"A person wearing a baseball cap looks out the window from the backseat of a car.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/RS68646_230901-CentralValleyClimateSolutions-13-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enrique Contreras gets a ride in an all-electric vehicle from the Green Raiteros rideshare program in Huron, Calif., to a doctor’s appointment on Sept. 1, 2023. The program is run by Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute offices, known as Leap. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In one bay of the garage, several men were building prototypes of portable trailers with solar panels on top, that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.grants.ca.gov/grants/gfo-20-310-mobile-renewable-backup-generation-morbugs/\">California Energy Commission hopes can serve as emergency shelters\u003c/a> and power stations, to deploy during wildfires or other disasters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in a greenhouse behind the garage, two workers are running an experiment, funded by the USDA, to test a liquid organic fertilizer on tomatoes — with hopes of scaling up production and using local agricultural waste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Huron’s mayor, León is also \u003ca href=\"https://www.grants.ca.gov/grants/gfo-20-310-mobile-renewable-backup-generation-morbugs/\">scoping the possibility of developing a park\u003c/a> and nature conservancy on 3,000 acres of overgrown federal land just outside of town. He envisions replenishing the underground aquifer there using the town’s treated wastewater, and employing residents to build trails and plant native trees grown in LEAP greenhouses.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>León’s dreams are big, but they’ll take more money, political muscle and capacity building to realize. He knows they won’t happen overnight and, for now, he’s experimenting at a small scale. The Green Raiteros fleet in Huron has 11 cars, but state grants are funding an expansion, with five additional vehicles in Fresno and three more in the Salinas Valley town of Pajaro. In a poor community like his, León said, such government funding has been essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If not for the resources provided by state agencies, it really wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “We’re farmworkers and, traditionally, farmworkers have never been afforded the privilege of being able to build up wealth. … We hope that with the projects we’re doing, they could see them as pilots for what could be done in similar communities throughout the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small farming towns like Huron have had some success winning competitive grants. But even with all the new money flowing from state and federal governments, it often goes to big cities and large nonprofits with sophisticated fundraising operations, leaving small, rural places at a disadvantage — even if their need is intense, some advocates say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are dire inequities on every measure of human wellbeing in the Central Valley because of past and current policies and disinvestment,” said Solange Gould, co-director of Human Impact Partners, a nonprofit that advocates for health equity. “There’s a lot of funding, but the state needs to provide more technical assistance to Central Valley groups to be able to access that money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "campesinos-denunciaron-a-un-vinedo-por-abusos-laborales-y-ganaron",
"title": "Cómo un grupo de campesinos denunció a un viñedo por abusos laborales y ganó",
"publishDate": 1694516454,
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"headTitle": "Cómo un grupo de campesinos denunció a un viñedo por abusos laborales y ganó | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">\u003cem>Read in English\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc. en el condado de Sonoma pagará 328 mil 077 dólares a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">21 de sus ex empleados\u003c/a> como parte de un \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885712/settlement-agreement-june-2023.pdf\">acuerdo legal\u003c/a> con la Junta de Relaciones Laborales Agrícolas de California (ALRB, por sus siglas en inglés), el mayor acuerdo monetario que se ha visto en la oficina de Santa Rosa de esta dependencia. Funcionarios de la ALRB, junto con decenas de activistas laborales y trabajadores agrícolas, anunciaron el acuerdo en una conferencia de prensa el lunes 24 de julio de 2023 en Healdsburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc, que gestiona los viñedos, es una empresa independiente y distinta de Mauritson Wines. Ambas empresas son propiedad de la familia Mauritson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tras una investigación impulsada por las quejas de los trabajadores agrícolas, los funcionarios del ALRB determinaron que Mauritson Farms tomó represalias contra el equipo entero de antiguos empleados porque algunos de ellos se organizaron a finales de la temporada de cultivo de 2021 para denunciar las condiciones de trabajo inseguras en los viñedos de Mauritson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Debemos reconocer que se trata de una victoria iniciada por los trabajadores para defender no sólo sus derechos, sino también su dignidad”, dijo el activista Davin Cárdenas en una conferencia que se llevó a cabo el pasado 24 de julio. Cárdenas es el director de la organización North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ, por sus siglas en inglés), un grupo de derechos laborales que apoyó a los trabajadores en su denuncia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Se trata de un caso que establece un precedente para otros trabajadores de la región”, afirmó Cárdenas.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, uno de los seis trabajadores que denunciaron el trato recibido en Mauritson\"]‘Después de tantos abusos, creo que es justo que se respeten nuestros derechos y se nos respete por lo que somos.’[/pullquote]Los trabajadores implicados eran inmigrantes mexicanos, originarios del estado de Oaxaca, y se encontraban en los Estados Unidos con la visa H-2A, que permite a los trabajadores agrícolas permanecer en el país por períodos limitados.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED r\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">eportó por vez primera el año pasado\u003c/a> que ninguno de los trabajadores oaxaqueños que denunciaron los hechos en 2021 fueron recontratados para la temporada de cultivo de 2022, pese a las promesas que hizo la dirección de la empresa. En su denuncia presentada contra Mauritson el pasado mes de marzo, el ALRB \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885711/alrb-complaint-march-2023.pdf\">determinó que el hecho de que Mauritson no volviera a contratar a estos trabajadores representa una violación de sus derechos laborales\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cuando recibí la noticia, agradecí a Dios que se ganó porque no fue nada fácil. Teníamos mucho miedo de hablar. Fue un proceso complicado, pero hay que quitarse ese miedo”, dijo Martín Sandoval Rivera, uno de los trabajadores que denunció las condiciones en Mauritson Farms. Actualmente se encuentra en Oaxaca, con varios trabajos para mantener a su familia.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003cbr>\nSandoval Rivera y sus compañeros dijeron que sufrieron acoso verbal por parte de su supervisor, que se les negó sombra mientras trabajaban en los campos cuando las temperaturas superaban los 90 grados Fahrenheit (equivalente a 32 centígrados) y que no recibieron sus períodos de descanso y almuerzo en algunas ocasiones. Todo esto viola las regulaciones laborales de California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seis de los trabajadores, incluido Sandoval Rivera, buscaron el apoyo del grupo de derechos laborales NBJWJ para mediar en la situación. NBJWJ organizó una reunión con los trabajadores y los directivos de la empresa en octubre de 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En esa reunión, el director del viñedo, Cameron Mauritson, prometió que las condiciones en los campos mejorarían y \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">aseguró a los trabajadores que volvería a contratarlos en 2022\u003c/a>, aliviando así la mayor preocupación de los trabajadores: que se les fuera a negar empleo en el futuro por haber pedido mejoras laborales. Después de esa plática, Mauritson Farms, que según los trabajadores previamente gestionaba el proceso de contratación a través de las redes sociales, contrató a CIERTO Global, una empresa multinacional que busca mano de obra en el extranjero para el sector agrícola de Estados Unidos.[aside postID=\"news_11919450\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2022/07/FarmworkersIlloVignet-1020x659-1.jpg\"]Mauritson Farms pide a CIERTO Global que busque a trabajadores para la temporada de 2022, y por ende le cierra la puerta a los campesinos oaxaqueños. Según la denuncia del ALRB, para las empresas de cultivo de uva, CIERTO Global sólo recluta a trabajadores que viven en el estado mexicano de Baja California, no en Oaxaca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Además, las capturas de pantalla de un grupo de Facebook que los trabajadores oaxaqueños compartieron con KQED mostraron que los directivos de Mauritson compartieron información incorrecta sobre cómo debían ponerse en contacto los trabajadores con CIERTO para ser considerados para la temporada de 2022. Representantes de CIERTO confirmaron a KQED que esas instrucciones eran falsas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Estas instrucciones no reflejan nuestras prácticas con ninguno de los trabajadores a los que atendemos”, respondió por correo electrónico un representante de CIERTO. “Las instrucciones de Mauritson no fueron autorizadas ni difundidas por CIERTO”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuando los trabajadores se dieron cuenta de lo que estaba ocurriendo, alertaron al grupo NBJWJ. En febrero de 2022, los activistas \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">presentaron una demanda ante el ALRB en nombre de los seis trabajadores que asistieron a la reunión con Mauritson\u003c/a>. Inicialmente, seis de ellos hablaron, pero en su investigación, el ALRB descubrió que Mauritson había tomado represalias contra todo la cuadrilla de 21 personas al que pertenecían los seis trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El acuerdo de 328 mil 077 dólares que beneficiará a los 21 trabajadores representa lo que los trabajadores perdieron en ingresos por haber sido excluidos de la temporada de 2022, según los cálculos del ALRB. Una audiencia con un juez ya había sido programada para finales de este verano, pero el acuerdo entre la empresa y el ALRB concluye este proceso.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En una declaración enviada por correo electrónico a KQED, Mauritson Farms declaró que “cree firmemente que [no estaba] en ninguna violación de la Ley de Relaciones Laborales Agrícolas (ALRA). Este acuerdo es estrictamente una decisión empresarial que nos permite resolver este asunto sin necesidad de más litigios”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11957507\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11957507 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS.jpg\" alt='Varias personas de distintas edades sostienen letreros con consignas. Algunos letreros dicen, \"La unión hace la fuerza\".' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Los trabajadores agrícolas Antonio Flores (izquierda) y su hijo Mateo, Rosalba Gutiérrez (centro) y Valentina Sosa (derecha) se sientan en la conferencia de prensa organizada por el grupo de derechos laborales NBJWJ, donde se dio a conocer el acuerdo con Mauritson Farms en la plaza central de Healdsburg el lunes 24 de julio de 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Después de tantos abusos, creo que es justo que se respeten nuestros derechos y se nos respete por lo que somos”, dijo Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, uno de los seis trabajadores que se reunieron con Mauritson. Durante el último año y medio, ha buscado cualquier trabajo en su comunidad rural de Oaxaca para mantener a su esposa y sus dos hijos y, al mismo tiempo, se ha mantenido en contacto con funcionarios del ALRB que investigaban la situación.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Durante meses, el ALRB trabajó para localizar a los 21 trabajadores que no fueron recontratados. Una vez finalizada la temporada de 2021, muchos regresaron a pueblos remotos de Oaxaca, donde el acceso al internet y la cobertura de telefonía móvil son extremadamente limitados y, para algunos, inexistentes. Localizar a la gente fue uno de los retos, dijo la directora regional de ALRB, Jessica Arciniega. El otro era establecer confianza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“En muchos casos, resulta difícil mantener la comunicación con los trabajadores”, explica. “Pueden no estar familiarizados con nuestro proceso, con nosotros como agencia gubernamental y con lo que realmente hacemos. Así que puede que no siempre se sientan 100% preparados o cómodos de compartir toda esta información”.[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Ana Salgado, antigua trabajadora agrícola y miembro de la junta de NBJWJ\"]‘Muchos [trabajadores H-2A] tienen miedo de perder la oportunidad que tienen \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">… \u003c/span> Pueden estar sufriendo muchos abusos, pero no quieren decir nada porque temen perder lo que consideran un privilegio.’[/pullquote]Los trabajadores no sólo temen sufrir más represalias del mismo empleador, sino que, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">como informó KQED el año pasado, muchos empleadores utilizan una red de reclutadores para impedir que los trabajadores que denuncian encuentren otro empleo en el futuro\u003c/a>. En ese mismo reportaje, KQED compartió la historia de Kevin y Samuel, dos ex empleados de Mauritson que estaban entre los seis que hicieron la primera denuncia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin y Samuel eran en realidad los alias de Sandoval Rivera y Bravo Silva, respectivamente.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En aquel momento, ambos hombres tenían mucho miedo de las repercusiones que podría tener el compartir públicamente sus identidades durante la investigación del ALRB. A medida la investigación se hacía más larga, Sandoval Rivera sentía cada vez menos confianza en que hubiera una respuesta por parte de las autoridades, especialmente a medida que empeoraba la situación económica de su familia. “La necesidad te hace pensar muchas cosas”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, él y Bravo Silva se alegran de haber esperado los resultados de la investigación y el acuerdo. Esto no sólo les beneficiará a ellos, dice Bravo Silva, “sino también a los trabajadores inmigrantes que ahora trabajan en esa empresa, para que se les respete más y no se sientan solos. Hay leyes que protegen a los trabajadores agrícolas”.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Celebrando una difícil victoria\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Con pancartas y carteles, muchos de ellos con la frase de Emiliano Zapata, como “La tierra es de quien la trabaja”, decenas de trabajadores agrícolas y activistas con NBJWJ llenaron parte de la plaza principal de Healdsburg para la conferencia de prensa que se realizó el pasado 24 de julio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ustedes representan a los trabajadores agrícolas que no pueden estar hoy aquí, pero cuya valentía nos ha dejado este legado, que luchando y encontrando aliados, los trabajadores podemos lograr muchas cosas”, dijo Ana Salgado, quien anteriormente era una trabajadora agrícola y ahora es una activista comunitaria y forma parte de la junta directiva de NBJWJ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11957508\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11957508 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally.jpg\" alt=\"Una mujer habla enfrente de una multitud. Muchos en la multitud sostienen letreros y pancartas con lemas de justicia labora.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ana Salgado (centro), ex trabajadora agrícola y miembro de la junta directiva de NBJWJ, habla en la rueda de prensa del lunes, 24 de julio de 2023, en la plaza central de Healdsburg. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A pocas calles de esa plaza se encuentra el centro comunitario donde Salgado conoció a varios de los hombres que entonces trabajaban para Mauritson. Recuerda las primeras conversaciones que mantuvo con los trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Miré a uno de ellos y vi la preocupación en su cara”, dijo, “tomé su mano y le dije ‘ya puedes abrirte, estás en un espacio seguro'”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tantos trabajadores que tienen la visa H-2A temen perder la oportunidad que tienen porque los empleadores les dicen que es un privilegio ser traídos de México con una visa”, explicó. “Pueden estar sufriendo muchos abusos, pero no quieren decir nada porque tienen miedo de perder lo que consideran un privilegio”.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>‘Leyes que no se cumplen’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>El programa de visados H-2A es el sucesor del Programa Bracero, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/31/634442195/when-the-u-s-government-tried-to-replace-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers\">que trajo trabajadores mexicanos a los campos agrícolas de Estados Unidos durante la década de 1940\u003c/a>. El actual sistema H-2A ahora trae a trabajadores de todo el mundo para trabajar en Estados Unidos y, como parte del programa, los empleadores deben proporcionar alojamiento, transporte y comidas, lo que da a las empresas un increíble poder sobre la vida personal de sus trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Y al igual que el Programa Bracero, \u003ca href=\"https://prismreports.org/2023/04/14/h2a-visa-wage-theft-exploitation/\">el sistema H-2A está plagado de robo de salarios, abuso físico y mental a los empleados, y represalias por parte de los empleadores hacia los trabajadores que denuncian\u003c/a> las condiciones laborales, esto según una investigación de 18 meses publicada en abril por las agencias de noticias Prism, Futuro Investigates y Latino USA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11957509\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11957509 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally.jpg\" alt=\"Un hombre da un discurso ante una multitud. Muchos de los asistentes sostienen pancartas con consignas de protesta. El grupo se encuentra en un parque.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Davin Cárdenas, director del grupo de derechos laborales NBJWJ, habla en la rueda de prensa del 24 de agosto en la plaza central de Healdsburg. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tanto el gobierno federal como el de California han reforzado sus leyes laborales desde la década de 1940, así que ¿por qué persiste el abuso de los trabajadores H-2A?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Una de las razones es que las dependencias regulatorias necesitan más personal y recursos para hacer cumplir las normas laborales, dice Josephine Weinberg, abogada de California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA, por sus siglas en inglés), un bufete de abogados sin fines de lucro que representa a campesinos que han sufrido represalias y abusos en el lugar de trabajo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Contamos con las dependencias. Contamos con normas. Pero faltan los mecanismos para hacer cumplir las leyes y monitorear los campos. Así que lo que nos toca no es más que leyes simbólicas'”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aproximadamente 1 de cada 3 puestos sigue vacante en la Oficina del Comisionado Laboral de California, uno de los organismos encargados de investigar el robo de sueldos y las represalias en todas las industrias en el estado. La escasez de empleados en esta dependencia deja al personal actual sobrecargado de casos, lo que significa que quienes presentan una denuncia a menudo tienen que esperar años para obtener un resultado. Decenas de empleados de esta agencia mandaron una carta a legisladores estatales a principios de julio, argumentando que ellos están “fracasando en nuestra misión si no podemos contratar y retener al personal necesario”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En el ALRB, la directora regional Jessica Arciniega señala que su agencia tiene cinco oficinas repartidas por varias regiones agrícolas del estado, “pero California es un estado inmenso y hay muchos trabajadores agrícolas en todo el estado”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No tenemos oficinas en todas las regiones agrícolas”, dice, “así que hacemos lo que podemos en este enorme estado para cubrir dondequiera que estén los trabajadores”. Añade que el departamento colabora estrechamente con organizaciones comunitarias y sindicales, como NBJWJ, para conectar con más obreros.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero activistas laborales insisten en que hay que hacer más para aplicar mejor las normas laborales y mejorar el programa H-2A en su conjunto. Weinberg, de CRLA, añade que los reguladores deben vigilar más de cerca los campos agrícolas, con visitas aleatorias durante la temporada de cultivo. Y por otro lado, los empleadores deben facilitar que las agencias y los grupos laborales hablen con los campesinos sin restricciones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La forma en que se diseñó el programa H-2A, en el que las empresas tienen un control directo sobre el alojamiento, el transporte, la situación migratoria e incluso la alimentación de sus empleados, dificulta enormemente que los trabajadores puedan hablar libremente.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No tienen acceso a un lugar donde sientan que pueden hablar confidencialmente o de forma anónima sobre lo que está pasando”, dijo Weinberg.[aside label='Más en español' tag='kqed-en-espanol']El 19 de julio, el gobernador Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">anunció un programa piloto de 4.5 millones de dólares para proporcionar servicios legales gratuitos de inmigración a los trabajadores agrícolas que están involucrados en investigaciones laborales estatales\u003c/a>. Esto incluiría servicios de revisión de casos, asesoramiento jurídico y representación por un abogado a los trabajadores en California que tienen un caso pendiente ya sea con el ALRB, la Oficina del Comisionado Laboral o Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El objetivo de este programa, según los funcionarios, es abordar uno de los temores que impiden a los empleados hablar, que es el miedo a perder su visado o a no volver a ser contratado, poniéndolos en contacto con expertos en inmigración que podrían ayudarles a encontrar formas de permanecer en este país. Y a principios de este año, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941448/que-es-el-programa-de-accion-diferida-de-la-administracion-biden-para-trabajadores-indocumentados\">el gobierno del presidente Biden presentó una nueva y simplificada iniciativa de “acción diferida”\u003c/a> que permite a los trabajadores solicitar un permiso de trabajo y dos años de protección frente a la deportación si cooperan con una investigación sobre derechos laborales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero, por encima de todo, afirma Salgado de NBJWJ, lo que realmente ayuda a la gente a sentirse con la seguridad de hablar es saber que hay casos en los que el sistema funciona a favor de los trabajadores. “Sin duda, el resultado del caso Mauritson, reafirma la fe entre nosotros, pero también la credibilidad del trabajo que hacemos cuando salimos a hablar con los trabajadores”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nota del editor: La versión original de este reportaje describió de manera errónea a Mauritson Farms como una bodega vinícola, en vez de una empresa de viñedos. Este reportaje ha sido actualizado para aclarar la relación entre Mauritson Farms, Inc. y Mauritson Wines.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Este artículo incluye información de las periodistas Farida Jhabvala Romero y Tyche Hendricks, de KQED. Además fue traducido por \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/mpena/\">María Peña\u003c/a> y editado por \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "El viñedo Mauritson Farms Inc. ubicado en California, pagará $328,077 a 21 de sus ex empleados, quienes trabajaron por varios años por este empleador con una visa H-2A y reportaron faltas a sus derechos laborales.",
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"title": "Cómo un grupo de campesinos denunció a un viñedo por abusos laborales y ganó | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956413/how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won\">\u003cem>Read in English\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc. en el condado de Sonoma pagará 328 mil 077 dólares a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">21 de sus ex empleados\u003c/a> como parte de un \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885712/settlement-agreement-june-2023.pdf\">acuerdo legal\u003c/a> con la Junta de Relaciones Laborales Agrícolas de California (ALRB, por sus siglas en inglés), el mayor acuerdo monetario que se ha visto en la oficina de Santa Rosa de esta dependencia. Funcionarios de la ALRB, junto con decenas de activistas laborales y trabajadores agrícolas, anunciaron el acuerdo en una conferencia de prensa el lunes 24 de julio de 2023 en Healdsburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc, que gestiona los viñedos, es una empresa independiente y distinta de Mauritson Wines. Ambas empresas son propiedad de la familia Mauritson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tras una investigación impulsada por las quejas de los trabajadores agrícolas, los funcionarios del ALRB determinaron que Mauritson Farms tomó represalias contra el equipo entero de antiguos empleados porque algunos de ellos se organizaron a finales de la temporada de cultivo de 2021 para denunciar las condiciones de trabajo inseguras en los viñedos de Mauritson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Debemos reconocer que se trata de una victoria iniciada por los trabajadores para defender no sólo sus derechos, sino también su dignidad”, dijo el activista Davin Cárdenas en una conferencia que se llevó a cabo el pasado 24 de julio. Cárdenas es el director de la organización North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ, por sus siglas en inglés), un grupo de derechos laborales que apoyó a los trabajadores en su denuncia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Se trata de un caso que establece un precedente para otros trabajadores de la región”, afirmó Cárdenas.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Después de tantos abusos, creo que es justo que se respeten nuestros derechos y se nos respete por lo que somos.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Los trabajadores implicados eran inmigrantes mexicanos, originarios del estado de Oaxaca, y se encontraban en los Estados Unidos con la visa H-2A, que permite a los trabajadores agrícolas permanecer en el país por períodos limitados.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED r\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">eportó por vez primera el año pasado\u003c/a> que ninguno de los trabajadores oaxaqueños que denunciaron los hechos en 2021 fueron recontratados para la temporada de cultivo de 2022, pese a las promesas que hizo la dirección de la empresa. En su denuncia presentada contra Mauritson el pasado mes de marzo, el ALRB \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885711/alrb-complaint-march-2023.pdf\">determinó que el hecho de que Mauritson no volviera a contratar a estos trabajadores representa una violación de sus derechos laborales\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cuando recibí la noticia, agradecí a Dios que se ganó porque no fue nada fácil. Teníamos mucho miedo de hablar. Fue un proceso complicado, pero hay que quitarse ese miedo”, dijo Martín Sandoval Rivera, uno de los trabajadores que denunció las condiciones en Mauritson Farms. Actualmente se encuentra en Oaxaca, con varios trabajos para mantener a su familia.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cbr>\nSandoval Rivera y sus compañeros dijeron que sufrieron acoso verbal por parte de su supervisor, que se les negó sombra mientras trabajaban en los campos cuando las temperaturas superaban los 90 grados Fahrenheit (equivalente a 32 centígrados) y que no recibieron sus períodos de descanso y almuerzo en algunas ocasiones. Todo esto viola las regulaciones laborales de California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seis de los trabajadores, incluido Sandoval Rivera, buscaron el apoyo del grupo de derechos laborales NBJWJ para mediar en la situación. NBJWJ organizó una reunión con los trabajadores y los directivos de la empresa en octubre de 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En esa reunión, el director del viñedo, Cameron Mauritson, prometió que las condiciones en los campos mejorarían y \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">aseguró a los trabajadores que volvería a contratarlos en 2022\u003c/a>, aliviando así la mayor preocupación de los trabajadores: que se les fuera a negar empleo en el futuro por haber pedido mejoras laborales. Después de esa plática, Mauritson Farms, que según los trabajadores previamente gestionaba el proceso de contratación a través de las redes sociales, contrató a CIERTO Global, una empresa multinacional que busca mano de obra en el extranjero para el sector agrícola de Estados Unidos.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Mauritson Farms pide a CIERTO Global que busque a trabajadores para la temporada de 2022, y por ende le cierra la puerta a los campesinos oaxaqueños. Según la denuncia del ALRB, para las empresas de cultivo de uva, CIERTO Global sólo recluta a trabajadores que viven en el estado mexicano de Baja California, no en Oaxaca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Además, las capturas de pantalla de un grupo de Facebook que los trabajadores oaxaqueños compartieron con KQED mostraron que los directivos de Mauritson compartieron información incorrecta sobre cómo debían ponerse en contacto los trabajadores con CIERTO para ser considerados para la temporada de 2022. Representantes de CIERTO confirmaron a KQED que esas instrucciones eran falsas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Estas instrucciones no reflejan nuestras prácticas con ninguno de los trabajadores a los que atendemos”, respondió por correo electrónico un representante de CIERTO. “Las instrucciones de Mauritson no fueron autorizadas ni difundidas por CIERTO”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cuando los trabajadores se dieron cuenta de lo que estaba ocurriendo, alertaron al grupo NBJWJ. En febrero de 2022, los activistas \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">presentaron una demanda ante el ALRB en nombre de los seis trabajadores que asistieron a la reunión con Mauritson\u003c/a>. Inicialmente, seis de ellos hablaron, pero en su investigación, el ALRB descubrió que Mauritson había tomado represalias contra todo la cuadrilla de 21 personas al que pertenecían los seis trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El acuerdo de 328 mil 077 dólares que beneficiará a los 21 trabajadores representa lo que los trabajadores perdieron en ingresos por haber sido excluidos de la temporada de 2022, según los cálculos del ALRB. Una audiencia con un juez ya había sido programada para finales de este verano, pero el acuerdo entre la empresa y el ALRB concluye este proceso.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En una declaración enviada por correo electrónico a KQED, Mauritson Farms declaró que “cree firmemente que [no estaba] en ninguna violación de la Ley de Relaciones Laborales Agrícolas (ALRA). Este acuerdo es estrictamente una decisión empresarial que nos permite resolver este asunto sin necesidad de más litigios”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11957507\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11957507 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS.jpg\" alt='Varias personas de distintas edades sostienen letreros con consignas. Algunos letreros dicen, \"La unión hace la fuerza\".' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/LA-UNION-HACE-LA-FUERZA-BANNERS-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Los trabajadores agrícolas Antonio Flores (izquierda) y su hijo Mateo, Rosalba Gutiérrez (centro) y Valentina Sosa (derecha) se sientan en la conferencia de prensa organizada por el grupo de derechos laborales NBJWJ, donde se dio a conocer el acuerdo con Mauritson Farms en la plaza central de Healdsburg el lunes 24 de julio de 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Después de tantos abusos, creo que es justo que se respeten nuestros derechos y se nos respete por lo que somos”, dijo Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, uno de los seis trabajadores que se reunieron con Mauritson. Durante el último año y medio, ha buscado cualquier trabajo en su comunidad rural de Oaxaca para mantener a su esposa y sus dos hijos y, al mismo tiempo, se ha mantenido en contacto con funcionarios del ALRB que investigaban la situación.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Durante meses, el ALRB trabajó para localizar a los 21 trabajadores que no fueron recontratados. Una vez finalizada la temporada de 2021, muchos regresaron a pueblos remotos de Oaxaca, donde el acceso al internet y la cobertura de telefonía móvil son extremadamente limitados y, para algunos, inexistentes. Localizar a la gente fue uno de los retos, dijo la directora regional de ALRB, Jessica Arciniega. El otro era establecer confianza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“En muchos casos, resulta difícil mantener la comunicación con los trabajadores”, explica. “Pueden no estar familiarizados con nuestro proceso, con nosotros como agencia gubernamental y con lo que realmente hacemos. Así que puede que no siempre se sientan 100% preparados o cómodos de compartir toda esta información”.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Muchos [trabajadores H-2A] tienen miedo de perder la oportunidad que tienen \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">… \u003c/span> Pueden estar sufriendo muchos abusos, pero no quieren decir nada porque temen perder lo que consideran un privilegio.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Los trabajadores no sólo temen sufrir más represalias del mismo empleador, sino que, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919450/trabajar-con-una-visa-h-2a-en-estados-unidos-represalias-derechos\">como informó KQED el año pasado, muchos empleadores utilizan una red de reclutadores para impedir que los trabajadores que denuncian encuentren otro empleo en el futuro\u003c/a>. En ese mismo reportaje, KQED compartió la historia de Kevin y Samuel, dos ex empleados de Mauritson que estaban entre los seis que hicieron la primera denuncia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin y Samuel eran en realidad los alias de Sandoval Rivera y Bravo Silva, respectivamente.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En aquel momento, ambos hombres tenían mucho miedo de las repercusiones que podría tener el compartir públicamente sus identidades durante la investigación del ALRB. A medida la investigación se hacía más larga, Sandoval Rivera sentía cada vez menos confianza en que hubiera una respuesta por parte de las autoridades, especialmente a medida que empeoraba la situación económica de su familia. “La necesidad te hace pensar muchas cosas”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sin embargo, él y Bravo Silva se alegran de haber esperado los resultados de la investigación y el acuerdo. Esto no sólo les beneficiará a ellos, dice Bravo Silva, “sino también a los trabajadores inmigrantes que ahora trabajan en esa empresa, para que se les respete más y no se sientan solos. Hay leyes que protegen a los trabajadores agrícolas”.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Celebrando una difícil victoria\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Con pancartas y carteles, muchos de ellos con la frase de Emiliano Zapata, como “La tierra es de quien la trabaja”, decenas de trabajadores agrícolas y activistas con NBJWJ llenaron parte de la plaza principal de Healdsburg para la conferencia de prensa que se realizó el pasado 24 de julio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ustedes representan a los trabajadores agrícolas que no pueden estar hoy aquí, pero cuya valentía nos ha dejado este legado, que luchando y encontrando aliados, los trabajadores podemos lograr muchas cosas”, dijo Ana Salgado, quien anteriormente era una trabajadora agrícola y ahora es una activista comunitaria y forma parte de la junta directiva de NBJWJ.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11957508\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11957508 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally.jpg\" alt=\"Una mujer habla enfrente de una multitud. Muchos en la multitud sostienen letreros y pancartas con lemas de justicia labora.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/healdsburg-plaza-farm-workers-rally-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ana Salgado (centro), ex trabajadora agrícola y miembro de la junta directiva de NBJWJ, habla en la rueda de prensa del lunes, 24 de julio de 2023, en la plaza central de Healdsburg. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A pocas calles de esa plaza se encuentra el centro comunitario donde Salgado conoció a varios de los hombres que entonces trabajaban para Mauritson. Recuerda las primeras conversaciones que mantuvo con los trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Miré a uno de ellos y vi la preocupación en su cara”, dijo, “tomé su mano y le dije ‘ya puedes abrirte, estás en un espacio seguro'”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tantos trabajadores que tienen la visa H-2A temen perder la oportunidad que tienen porque los empleadores les dicen que es un privilegio ser traídos de México con una visa”, explicó. “Pueden estar sufriendo muchos abusos, pero no quieren decir nada porque tienen miedo de perder lo que consideran un privilegio”.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>‘Leyes que no se cumplen’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>El programa de visados H-2A es el sucesor del Programa Bracero, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/31/634442195/when-the-u-s-government-tried-to-replace-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers\">que trajo trabajadores mexicanos a los campos agrícolas de Estados Unidos durante la década de 1940\u003c/a>. El actual sistema H-2A ahora trae a trabajadores de todo el mundo para trabajar en Estados Unidos y, como parte del programa, los empleadores deben proporcionar alojamiento, transporte y comidas, lo que da a las empresas un increíble poder sobre la vida personal de sus trabajadores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Y al igual que el Programa Bracero, \u003ca href=\"https://prismreports.org/2023/04/14/h2a-visa-wage-theft-exploitation/\">el sistema H-2A está plagado de robo de salarios, abuso físico y mental a los empleados, y represalias por parte de los empleadores hacia los trabajadores que denuncian\u003c/a> las condiciones laborales, esto según una investigación de 18 meses publicada en abril por las agencias de noticias Prism, Futuro Investigates y Latino USA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11957509\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11957509 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally.jpg\" alt=\"Un hombre da un discurso ante una multitud. Muchos de los asistentes sostienen pancartas con consignas de protesta. El grupo se encuentra en un parque.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/davin-cardenas-with-migrant-workers-at-rally-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Davin Cárdenas, director del grupo de derechos laborales NBJWJ, habla en la rueda de prensa del 24 de agosto en la plaza central de Healdsburg. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tanto el gobierno federal como el de California han reforzado sus leyes laborales desde la década de 1940, así que ¿por qué persiste el abuso de los trabajadores H-2A?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Una de las razones es que las dependencias regulatorias necesitan más personal y recursos para hacer cumplir las normas laborales, dice Josephine Weinberg, abogada de California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA, por sus siglas en inglés), un bufete de abogados sin fines de lucro que representa a campesinos que han sufrido represalias y abusos en el lugar de trabajo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Contamos con las dependencias. Contamos con normas. Pero faltan los mecanismos para hacer cumplir las leyes y monitorear los campos. Así que lo que nos toca no es más que leyes simbólicas'”, dijo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aproximadamente 1 de cada 3 puestos sigue vacante en la Oficina del Comisionado Laboral de California, uno de los organismos encargados de investigar el robo de sueldos y las represalias en todas las industrias en el estado. La escasez de empleados en esta dependencia deja al personal actual sobrecargado de casos, lo que significa que quienes presentan una denuncia a menudo tienen que esperar años para obtener un resultado. Decenas de empleados de esta agencia mandaron una carta a legisladores estatales a principios de julio, argumentando que ellos están “fracasando en nuestra misión si no podemos contratar y retener al personal necesario”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>En el ALRB, la directora regional Jessica Arciniega señala que su agencia tiene cinco oficinas repartidas por varias regiones agrícolas del estado, “pero California es un estado inmenso y hay muchos trabajadores agrícolas en todo el estado”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No tenemos oficinas en todas las regiones agrícolas”, dice, “así que hacemos lo que podemos en este enorme estado para cubrir dondequiera que estén los trabajadores”. Añade que el departamento colabora estrechamente con organizaciones comunitarias y sindicales, como NBJWJ, para conectar con más obreros.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero activistas laborales insisten en que hay que hacer más para aplicar mejor las normas laborales y mejorar el programa H-2A en su conjunto. Weinberg, de CRLA, añade que los reguladores deben vigilar más de cerca los campos agrícolas, con visitas aleatorias durante la temporada de cultivo. Y por otro lado, los empleadores deben facilitar que las agencias y los grupos laborales hablen con los campesinos sin restricciones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La forma en que se diseñó el programa H-2A, en el que las empresas tienen un control directo sobre el alojamiento, el transporte, la situación migratoria e incluso la alimentación de sus empleados, dificulta enormemente que los trabajadores puedan hablar libremente.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No tienen acceso a un lugar donde sientan que pueden hablar confidencialmente o de forma anónima sobre lo que está pasando”, dijo Weinberg.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>El 19 de julio, el gobernador Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">anunció un programa piloto de 4.5 millones de dólares para proporcionar servicios legales gratuitos de inmigración a los trabajadores agrícolas que están involucrados en investigaciones laborales estatales\u003c/a>. Esto incluiría servicios de revisión de casos, asesoramiento jurídico y representación por un abogado a los trabajadores en California que tienen un caso pendiente ya sea con el ALRB, la Oficina del Comisionado Laboral o Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>El objetivo de este programa, según los funcionarios, es abordar uno de los temores que impiden a los empleados hablar, que es el miedo a perder su visado o a no volver a ser contratado, poniéndolos en contacto con expertos en inmigración que podrían ayudarles a encontrar formas de permanecer en este país. Y a principios de este año, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941448/que-es-el-programa-de-accion-diferida-de-la-administracion-biden-para-trabajadores-indocumentados\">el gobierno del presidente Biden presentó una nueva y simplificada iniciativa de “acción diferida”\u003c/a> que permite a los trabajadores solicitar un permiso de trabajo y dos años de protección frente a la deportación si cooperan con una investigación sobre derechos laborales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pero, por encima de todo, afirma Salgado de NBJWJ, lo que realmente ayuda a la gente a sentirse con la seguridad de hablar es saber que hay casos en los que el sistema funciona a favor de los trabajadores. “Sin duda, el resultado del caso Mauritson, reafirma la fe entre nosotros, pero también la credibilidad del trabajo que hacemos cuando salimos a hablar con los trabajadores”.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nota del editor: La versión original de este reportaje describió de manera errónea a Mauritson Farms como una bodega vinícola, en vez de una empresa de viñedos. Este reportaje ha sido actualizado para aclarar la relación entre Mauritson Farms, Inc. y Mauritson Wines.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Este artículo incluye información de las periodistas Farida Jhabvala Romero y Tyche Hendricks, de KQED. Además fue traducido por \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/mpena/\">María Peña\u003c/a> y editado por \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As Fresno-area temperatures sizzled around 100 recently, a 59-year-old tomatillo field worker collapsed and died. The coroner listed the cause of death as cardiovascular disease caused by cholesterol buildup; the farmworkers’ union blamed it on working in such heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Elidio Hernández should not have died,” said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero at a Friday press conference in Delano. “Elidio had two young daughters who now don’t have a father.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The case shines a spotlight on the effectiveness of a California law designed to protect workers laboring outdoors in searing temperatures — and it took center stage at a press conference called by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla to push federal legislation that would impose stronger federal heat protections in workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero said the 59-year-old father of two, whose full name is Elidio Hernández Gómez, reported feeling ill to his supervisor but did not receive help. After he collapsed, his supervisor and coworkers did not report the incident, she said, but his coworkers were told to take him to a hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>National weather services reported temperatures in the Fresno area around 100 degrees on Aug. 8. A coroner’s report said he was pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coroner’s report says Hernández Gómez’s death was due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is when cholesterol plaque builds up in arteries, obstructing blood flow.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Teresa Romero, president, United Farm Workers\"]‘Elidio Hernández should not have died. Elidio had two young daughters who now don’t have a father.’[/pullquote]There was no evidence showing whether heat played a role in his death, said Tony Botti, spokesperson for the Fresno County Coroner’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero did not disclose the names of the employer or the workers. CalMatters has been unable to identify Hernández Gómez’s employer or to speak to his family members or coworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero said the union and the United Farmworkers Foundation are assisting the family but family members fear retaliation. Hernández Gómez’s sister-in-law, Ana Navarro, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fresnobee.com/article278374474.html\">told the \u003cem>Fresno Bee\u003c/em>\u003c/a> the family is still searching for answers and just wants to “know what really happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of Hernández Gómez’s relatives have organized a GoFundMe page to raise money to send his body back to his native Guanajuato in Mexico. The page says Hernández Gómez died from a heart attack caused by working in the heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A staffer at the Fresno district office of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health told CalMatters Thursday the office has not received a report of the farmworker’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA asked UFW officials for information about the incident Friday, Romero said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Cal/OSHA statement said the agency is “gathering facts to determine whether to conduct an inspection.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement places a spotlight on California because it is one of the few states with an outdoor heat standard that is supposed to protect farmworkers. The state often is cited as an example by lawmakers pushing for tougher federal workplace standards — although California still does not have heat rules for indoor workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958775\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11958775\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02.jpg\" alt=\"A group of men and women some in business attire, many in red T-shirts, sit around a large group of tables discussing a serious matter as many wear solemn faces. They're inside a conference room that has many framed pictures on the walls and a fireplace is pictured in the background.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Alex Padilla during a roundtable discussion with local organizers and farmworkers in Delano, Kern County, on Aug. 18, 2023. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo-Bermudez/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Any state investigation into Hernández Gómez’s death could also test two new initiatives Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration recently touted as tools for protecting workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One is the recent establishment of temporary regional offices by Cal/OSHA, announced on Aug. 10, in several parts of the state — including Fresno — where there has been increased demand for services from workers and advocates seeking responses to complaints, accidents and requests for proactive high-heat inspections.[aside label='More on California Farmworkers' tag='farmworkers']The other state tool involves administrative actions to protect immigrant workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California labor department officials earlier this year said they have begun supporting undocumented workers’ requests for “prosecutorial discretion” or “deferred action” from federal immigration officials so that undocumented workers would not be deported or detained if the workers are involved in state labor investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office took it a step further in July, announcing plans to refer and pay for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/07/farmworker-labor-california/\">immigration legal services\u003c/a> for undocumented workers assisting the state with labor investigations, whether as victims or witnesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least 112 federal lawmakers recently signed a \u003ca href=\"https://casar.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/casar.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/congressional-letter-to-biden-administration-on-extreme-heat.pdf\">letter (PDF)\u003c/a> pushing President Joe Biden to take administrative actions to better protect workers from too-hot workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Padilla also recently cosponsored the \u003ca href=\"https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-introduces-legislation-to-protect-workers-from-extreme-heat/\">Asunción Valdivia Heat, Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act\u003c/a>, which refers to a California farmworker who died of heat illness in 2004. The subsequent deaths of several other farmworkers the following year led to California adopting such outdoor heat standards as requiring employers to provide water and shade breaks for workers and emergency response and transportation for workers sickened by heat.[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Teresa Romero, president, United Farm Workers\"]‘The law on the books is not the same as the law in the fields.’[/pullquote]The bill recently went to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It has 18 cosponsors in the Senate and 35 in the House of Representatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero said California’s outdoor heat standard has saved lives, but employers have to know there will be legal consequences if they don’t take action when their employees show signs of heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The law on the books is not the same as the law in the fields,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero said the 59-year-old father of two, whose full name is Elidio Hernández Gómez, reported feeling ill to his supervisor but did not receive help. After he collapsed, his supervisor and coworkers did not report the incident, she said, but his coworkers were told to take him to a hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>National weather services reported temperatures in the Fresno area around 100 degrees on Aug. 8. A coroner’s report said he was pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coroner’s report says Hernández Gómez’s death was due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is when cholesterol plaque builds up in arteries, obstructing blood flow.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>There was no evidence showing whether heat played a role in his death, said Tony Botti, spokesperson for the Fresno County Coroner’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero did not disclose the names of the employer or the workers. CalMatters has been unable to identify Hernández Gómez’s employer or to speak to his family members or coworkers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero said the union and the United Farmworkers Foundation are assisting the family but family members fear retaliation. Hernández Gómez’s sister-in-law, Ana Navarro, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fresnobee.com/article278374474.html\">told the \u003cem>Fresno Bee\u003c/em>\u003c/a> the family is still searching for answers and just wants to “know what really happened.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of Hernández Gómez’s relatives have organized a GoFundMe page to raise money to send his body back to his native Guanajuato in Mexico. The page says Hernández Gómez died from a heart attack caused by working in the heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A staffer at the Fresno district office of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health told CalMatters Thursday the office has not received a report of the farmworker’s death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal/OSHA asked UFW officials for information about the incident Friday, Romero said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Cal/OSHA statement said the agency is “gathering facts to determine whether to conduct an inspection.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The announcement places a spotlight on California because it is one of the few states with an outdoor heat standard that is supposed to protect farmworkers. The state often is cited as an example by lawmakers pushing for tougher federal workplace standards — although California still does not have heat rules for indoor workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958775\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11958775\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02.jpg\" alt=\"A group of men and women some in business attire, many in red T-shirts, sit around a large group of tables discussing a serious matter as many wear solemn faces. They're inside a conference room that has many framed pictures on the walls and a fireplace is pictured in the background.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/CMFarmworkers02-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sen. Alex Padilla during a roundtable discussion with local organizers and farmworkers in Delano, Kern County, on Aug. 18, 2023. \u003ccite>(Julie Leopo-Bermudez/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Any state investigation into Hernández Gómez’s death could also test two new initiatives Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration recently touted as tools for protecting workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One is the recent establishment of temporary regional offices by Cal/OSHA, announced on Aug. 10, in several parts of the state — including Fresno — where there has been increased demand for services from workers and advocates seeking responses to complaints, accidents and requests for proactive high-heat inspections.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The other state tool involves administrative actions to protect immigrant workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California labor department officials earlier this year said they have begun supporting undocumented workers’ requests for “prosecutorial discretion” or “deferred action” from federal immigration officials so that undocumented workers would not be deported or detained if the workers are involved in state labor investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office took it a step further in July, announcing plans to refer and pay for \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/07/farmworker-labor-california/\">immigration legal services\u003c/a> for undocumented workers assisting the state with labor investigations, whether as victims or witnesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At least 112 federal lawmakers recently signed a \u003ca href=\"https://casar.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/casar.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/congressional-letter-to-biden-administration-on-extreme-heat.pdf\">letter (PDF)\u003c/a> pushing President Joe Biden to take administrative actions to better protect workers from too-hot workplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Padilla also recently cosponsored the \u003ca href=\"https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-introduces-legislation-to-protect-workers-from-extreme-heat/\">Asunción Valdivia Heat, Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act\u003c/a>, which refers to a California farmworker who died of heat illness in 2004. The subsequent deaths of several other farmworkers the following year led to California adopting such outdoor heat standards as requiring employers to provide water and shade breaks for workers and emergency response and transportation for workers sickened by heat.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The law on the books is not the same as the law in the fields.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The bill recently went to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It has 18 cosponsors in the Senate and 35 in the House of Representatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Romero said California’s outdoor heat standard has saved lives, but employers have to know there will be legal consequences if they don’t take action when their employees show signs of heat illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The law on the books is not the same as the law in the fields,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>With more heat waves expected this summer, California officials are trying to assess the long-term economic impact on workers and businesses — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956715/democratic-lawmakers-push-for-national-heat-related-worker-protections-amid-scorching-temperatures\">and what more can be done to protect workers bearing the brunt of extreme temperatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">California is one of the few states with heat standards protecting outdoor workers\u003c/a>, advocates and workers say enforcement is still a struggle. Meanwhile the state has been trying for years to create indoor workplace heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2021 study of California worker compensation data by a left-leaning economic research nonprofit shows hot days lead to increased workplace accidents across California. The \u003ca href=\"https://equitablegrowth.org/working-papers/temperature-workplace-safety-and-labor-market-inequality/\">Washington Center for Equitable Growth study\u003c/a> estimates hot temperatures have caused at least 360,000 workplace injuries in California from 2001 to 2018, or about 20,000 injuries a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers examined California workers compensation data and tracked daily temperatures down to the zip code. They compared the number of worker injuries and illnesses on 85-to-105-degree days to days when temperatures hovered around 60 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">advisory committee\u003c/a> is set to use this data as a roadmap to tackle hot workplace issues. The group of state agency staffers and scholars will examine persistent problems with underreported heat-related illness and injuries, as well as gaps in data collection and the financial toll on workers and businesses when temperatures rise and production falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Young workers at risk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A day above 100 degrees can lead to a 10–15% increase in same-day injuries on the job, the study says, with injuries hitting low-wage workers hardest. And recovering from a heat-related injury or illness costs the average worker $35,000, including health care and long-term wage impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This implies that the welfare impacts associated with heat-related workplace injuries may be on the order of $525 million to $875 million per year in California alone,” the study authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study says workplace injuries include incidents not usually linked to heat, such as falling from heights, getting struck by a vehicle or mishandling dangerous machinery. Research links high temperatures to reduced cognitive performance and decision-making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lead author of the study, University of Pennsylvania professor \u003ca href=\"https://www.sp2.upenn.edu/person/r-jisung-park/\">R. Jisung Park\u003c/a>, is a member of the advisory committee. He and his coauthors found that low-wage workers, especially young men, face the greatest risks of heat injuries, even in mostly indoor workplaces like restaurants or warehouses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s advisory committee met for the first time at the end of June. Its mandate is part of a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Climate-Resilience/2022-Final-Extreme-Heat-Action-Plan.pdf\">package of heat-related\u003c/a> legislation passed last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom in September \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/09/09/as-record-heat-wave-continues-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-protect-californians-from-extreme-heat/\">signed several bills\u003c/a> creating the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-09/newsom-signs-bills-california-extreme-heat-warning-system\">extreme heat warning and ranking system\u003c/a> in the nation, directing the California Department of Public Health to study the impact of extreme heat on pregnant workers and encouraging local governments to invest in protections against extreme heat and other climate effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are certain sectors that are going to be heavily influenced of course, including food production,” said Daniel Sumner, an advisory committee member who is an agricultural and labor economist at UC Davis. “I think we’d be remiss not to try to think through impacts that directly affect workers’ lower productivity, raise danger for workers, and as a consequence raise food prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are California workers protected from heat?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California is one of a few states with laws that mandate employers provide water breaks, shade and rest for outdoor workers once temperatures reach certain levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state implemented its outdoor heat standard in 2005, after \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/ucdavis/protecting-californias-farmworkers-as-temperatures-climb/#:~:text=California%20passed%20the%20nation's%20most,water%2C%20shade%20and%20rest%20breaks.\">several farmworkers\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> —\u003c/strong> three in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-03-me-farmworkers3-story.html\">Kern County\u003c/a> and one in Fresno County — died due to heat exposure. After the 2008 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/farm-workers-rights-pregnant-17-year-old-death-2008-maria-isavel-vasquez-jimenez/40950637#:~:text=Mar%C3%ADa%20was%2017%20years%20old,when%20tragedy%20struck%20the%20family.\">death of a pregnant \u003c/a>teen working in a Central Valley vineyard\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>drew national outrage, state officials frantically tried to strengthen and enforce the heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11886628 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/08/RS50596_019_SanFrancisco_HeatWaveImpacts_08062021-qut-1020x680.jpg']The Washington Center study found occupational heat-related injuries in California declined by about 30% since the standards took effect in 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There still are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/10/1185766013/farm-workers-extreme-heat-protection-farmers-safety\">no heat-related federal workplace protections\u003c/a>, even for outdoor workers, although the Occupational Health and Safety Administration announced two years ago it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/01/1185623467/the-federal-government-wants-to-protect-people-who-work-outdoors-from-wildfire-s\">developing heat rules\u003c/a> for outdoor and indoor workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s currently little relief for California’s indoor workers. The state has been considering proposals for heat rules for employees in indoor settings like restaurants or warehouses for nearly seven years, missing a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1167\">2019 deadline\u003c/a> the Legislature set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, a 24-year-old United Parcel Service driver died after collapsing from the heat during deliveries in Pasadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 340,000-strong union representing the UPS workers has been seeking heat rules that would cover its California members. The union reached a “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Teamsters/status/1683867683845021697?s=20\">historic\u003c/a>” contract agreement with the company July 25 after threatening a strike, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b3z8/teamsters-ups-union-wins-historic-contract-avoids-gigantic-strike\">securing a deal\u003c/a> with higher wages and more heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jassy Grewal, a lobbyist for the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council and a member of the state’s heat advisory committee, said workers in high-intensity environments, or those who don’t have a cool place at home, are especially vulnerable without indoor heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What type of pressures from employers, like work quotas, contribute to heat-related illness,” Grewal asked during\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>the first committee meeting. “And how does the intensity of work and how physically demanding it is relate to the impact of heat exposure while at work and while not at work?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Gaps in job protections\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Unions and worker advocates have sued the state in the past to enforce heat-related regulations, and they say the state needs to hold employers accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocacy groups warn that despite progress, the greatest risk to workers lies with the state’s troubled enforcement record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some experts say it’s as simple as better outreach, informing workers about heat risks and their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s all implementation and ensuring that these workers actually get the benefits of these laws,” said Michael Méndez, environmental policy professor at UC Irvine, “and having a culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging on the risk and severity of these heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Stories' tag='heat']“I think for any population it’s confusing to understand how our climate is changing and how much risk they could have. So ensuring that we have trusted messengers and doing it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The United Farm Workers sued the Cal/OSHA in 2012\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>to compel the state to enforce heat rules for farmworkers. In 2015 the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cal-osha-farm-workers-20150612-story.html\">settled\u003c/a> a suit the union brought on behalf of five farmworkers who alleged Cal/OSHA was systematically neglecting its duty to enforce the 2005 law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UFW spokesperson Antonio de Loera-Brust told CalMatters “people died to win” California’s enforcement standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We expect state agencies to be out in full strength across California to make sure employers are being compliant with the state heat rules,” De Loera-Brust said. “Heat is still a deadly hazard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Farmworker health\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A February \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/02/farmworkers-conditions-california-report/\">study on California farmworker health\u003c/a> and safety by the \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/\">UC Merced Community and Labor Center\u003c/a> found that only a third of farm laborers could recognize the symptoms of a heat-related illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only half of the roughly 1,500 farmworkers surveyed said their employers always provide shade mandated by California law when it hits 80 degrees, while a quarter said their employers never or rarely provide the required shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/farmworker-health-study/farmworker-health-study-data-dashboard\">study\u003c/a>, which surveyed farmworkers in six languages, also found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>About 22% of farmworkers said their employer “never” monitors for heat illness. A slightly higher percentage in the Imperial Valley, where scorching temperatures are common, said the same.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>82% of farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley said they have received heat-related illness training.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>About 43% of farmworkers statewide, including two-thirds of Central Coast farmworkers, said their employers never had a written heat illness protection plan.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Some farm employers still don’t comply with state rules about providing water, shade and rest, the survey shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>55% of farmworkers across the state said their employers always monitored the temperature on hot days — 76% said it in the Imperial Valley, but 46% did in Napa Valley and Sonoma areas.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>75% of farmworkers said their employers provide clean drinking water every time.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Barely half of farmworkers reported their employers always provide a 10-minute cool down rest, while 21% said their employers “never” did.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/content/alice-berliner\">Alice Berliner\u003c/a>, worker health and safety program director at the community and labor center, said it’s clear some workers aren’t getting safety information or training in Spanish when they need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know heat-related deaths are going up,” she said. “If we want to prevent future deaths from happening, we really need to ensure workers are protected at work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials taking preventive measures, such as conducting heat sweeps ahead of heat waves, has helped, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What will the state committee do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/robert-rivas-1980/\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a>, who authored legislation creating the advisory committee last year, called the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">panel of 13\u003c/a> a “solid first step.” He said he will work with the Legislature to do more for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Climate change is accelerating, and extreme heat and heat-related illnesses are on the rise,” the Salinas Democrat said in a statement. “California is committed to protecting workers’ health and quality of life during extreme heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite near-universal consensus among state officials and advocates that heat reform work is urgent, and despite recent record shattering temperatures, the committee has been given a 2026 deadline to report results to the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee is set to meet quarterly. The next session is September 19. Members indicated they’ll likely commission a study to guide the committee’s work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no doubt the work this committee will do will save lives,” said Cal/OSHA chief Jeff Killip at the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With more heat waves expected this summer, California officials are trying to assess the long-term economic impact on workers and businesses — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956715/democratic-lawmakers-push-for-national-heat-related-worker-protections-amid-scorching-temperatures\">and what more can be done to protect workers bearing the brunt of extreme temperatures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11886628/feeling-the-heat-how-workers-can-advocate-for-safer-working-conditions-under-the-sun\">California is one of the few states with heat standards protecting outdoor workers\u003c/a>, advocates and workers say enforcement is still a struggle. Meanwhile the state has been trying for years to create indoor workplace heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2021 study of California worker compensation data by a left-leaning economic research nonprofit shows hot days lead to increased workplace accidents across California. The \u003ca href=\"https://equitablegrowth.org/working-papers/temperature-workplace-safety-and-labor-market-inequality/\">Washington Center for Equitable Growth study\u003c/a> estimates hot temperatures have caused at least 360,000 workplace injuries in California from 2001 to 2018, or about 20,000 injuries a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers examined California workers compensation data and tracked daily temperatures down to the zip code. They compared the number of worker injuries and illnesses on 85-to-105-degree days to days when temperatures hovered around 60 degrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new state \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">advisory committee\u003c/a> is set to use this data as a roadmap to tackle hot workplace issues. The group of state agency staffers and scholars will examine persistent problems with underreported heat-related illness and injuries, as well as gaps in data collection and the financial toll on workers and businesses when temperatures rise and production falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Young workers at risk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A day above 100 degrees can lead to a 10–15% increase in same-day injuries on the job, the study says, with injuries hitting low-wage workers hardest. And recovering from a heat-related injury or illness costs the average worker $35,000, including health care and long-term wage impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This implies that the welfare impacts associated with heat-related workplace injuries may be on the order of $525 million to $875 million per year in California alone,” the study authors wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study says workplace injuries include incidents not usually linked to heat, such as falling from heights, getting struck by a vehicle or mishandling dangerous machinery. Research links high temperatures to reduced cognitive performance and decision-making.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lead author of the study, University of Pennsylvania professor \u003ca href=\"https://www.sp2.upenn.edu/person/r-jisung-park/\">R. Jisung Park\u003c/a>, is a member of the advisory committee. He and his coauthors found that low-wage workers, especially young men, face the greatest risks of heat injuries, even in mostly indoor workplaces like restaurants or warehouses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s advisory committee met for the first time at the end of June. Its mandate is part of a \u003ca href=\"https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Climate-Resilience/2022-Final-Extreme-Heat-Action-Plan.pdf\">package of heat-related\u003c/a> legislation passed last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom in September \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/09/09/as-record-heat-wave-continues-governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-protect-californians-from-extreme-heat/\">signed several bills\u003c/a> creating the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-09/newsom-signs-bills-california-extreme-heat-warning-system\">extreme heat warning and ranking system\u003c/a> in the nation, directing the California Department of Public Health to study the impact of extreme heat on pregnant workers and encouraging local governments to invest in protections against extreme heat and other climate effects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are certain sectors that are going to be heavily influenced of course, including food production,” said Daniel Sumner, an advisory committee member who is an agricultural and labor economist at UC Davis. “I think we’d be remiss not to try to think through impacts that directly affect workers’ lower productivity, raise danger for workers, and as a consequence raise food prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Are California workers protected from heat?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California is one of a few states with laws that mandate employers provide water breaks, shade and rest for outdoor workers once temperatures reach certain levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state implemented its outdoor heat standard in 2005, after \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/ucdavis/protecting-californias-farmworkers-as-temperatures-climb/#:~:text=California%20passed%20the%20nation's%20most,water%2C%20shade%20and%20rest%20breaks.\">several farmworkers\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> —\u003c/strong> three in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-aug-03-me-farmworkers3-story.html\">Kern County\u003c/a> and one in Fresno County — died due to heat exposure. After the 2008 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/farm-workers-rights-pregnant-17-year-old-death-2008-maria-isavel-vasquez-jimenez/40950637#:~:text=Mar%C3%ADa%20was%2017%20years%20old,when%20tragedy%20struck%20the%20family.\">death of a pregnant \u003c/a>teen working in a Central Valley vineyard\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>drew national outrage, state officials frantically tried to strengthen and enforce the heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Washington Center study found occupational heat-related injuries in California declined by about 30% since the standards took effect in 2005.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There still are \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/10/1185766013/farm-workers-extreme-heat-protection-farmers-safety\">no heat-related federal workplace protections\u003c/a>, even for outdoor workers, although the Occupational Health and Safety Administration announced two years ago it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/07/01/1185623467/the-federal-government-wants-to-protect-people-who-work-outdoors-from-wildfire-s\">developing heat rules\u003c/a> for outdoor and indoor workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s currently little relief for California’s indoor workers. The state has been considering proposals for heat rules for employees in indoor settings like restaurants or warehouses for nearly seven years, missing a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1167\">2019 deadline\u003c/a> the Legislature set.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, a 24-year-old United Parcel Service driver died after collapsing from the heat during deliveries in Pasadena.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 340,000-strong union representing the UPS workers has been seeking heat rules that would cover its California members. The union reached a “\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Teamsters/status/1683867683845021697?s=20\">historic\u003c/a>” contract agreement with the company July 25 after threatening a strike, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b3z8/teamsters-ups-union-wins-historic-contract-avoids-gigantic-strike\">securing a deal\u003c/a> with higher wages and more heat protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jassy Grewal, a lobbyist for the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council and a member of the state’s heat advisory committee, said workers in high-intensity environments, or those who don’t have a cool place at home, are especially vulnerable without indoor heat rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What type of pressures from employers, like work quotas, contribute to heat-related illness,” Grewal asked during\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>the first committee meeting. “And how does the intensity of work and how physically demanding it is relate to the impact of heat exposure while at work and while not at work?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Gaps in job protections\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Unions and worker advocates have sued the state in the past to enforce heat-related regulations, and they say the state needs to hold employers accountable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocacy groups warn that despite progress, the greatest risk to workers lies with the state’s troubled enforcement record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some experts say it’s as simple as better outreach, informing workers about heat risks and their rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s all implementation and ensuring that these workers actually get the benefits of these laws,” said Michael Méndez, environmental policy professor at UC Irvine, “and having a culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging on the risk and severity of these heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I think for any population it’s confusing to understand how our climate is changing and how much risk they could have. So ensuring that we have trusted messengers and doing it in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way matters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The United Farm Workers sued the Cal/OSHA in 2012\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>to compel the state to enforce heat rules for farmworkers. In 2015 the state \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cal-osha-farm-workers-20150612-story.html\">settled\u003c/a> a suit the union brought on behalf of five farmworkers who alleged Cal/OSHA was systematically neglecting its duty to enforce the 2005 law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UFW spokesperson Antonio de Loera-Brust told CalMatters “people died to win” California’s enforcement standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We expect state agencies to be out in full strength across California to make sure employers are being compliant with the state heat rules,” De Loera-Brust said. “Heat is still a deadly hazard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Farmworker health\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A February \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/02/farmworkers-conditions-california-report/\">study on California farmworker health\u003c/a> and safety by the \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/\">UC Merced Community and Labor Center\u003c/a> found that only a third of farm laborers could recognize the symptoms of a heat-related illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only half of the roughly 1,500 farmworkers surveyed said their employers always provide shade mandated by California law when it hits 80 degrees, while a quarter said their employers never or rarely provide the required shade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/farmworker-health-study/farmworker-health-study-data-dashboard\">study\u003c/a>, which surveyed farmworkers in six languages, also found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>About 22% of farmworkers said their employer “never” monitors for heat illness. A slightly higher percentage in the Imperial Valley, where scorching temperatures are common, said the same.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>82% of farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley said they have received heat-related illness training.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>About 43% of farmworkers statewide, including two-thirds of Central Coast farmworkers, said their employers never had a written heat illness protection plan.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Some farm employers still don’t comply with state rules about providing water, shade and rest, the survey shows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>55% of farmworkers across the state said their employers always monitored the temperature on hot days — 76% said it in the Imperial Valley, but 46% did in Napa Valley and Sonoma areas.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>75% of farmworkers said their employers provide clean drinking water every time.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Barely half of farmworkers reported their employers always provide a 10-minute cool down rest, while 21% said their employers “never” did.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://clc.ucmerced.edu/content/alice-berliner\">Alice Berliner\u003c/a>, worker health and safety program director at the community and labor center, said it’s clear some workers aren’t getting safety information or training in Spanish when they need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know heat-related deaths are going up,” she said. “If we want to prevent future deaths from happening, we really need to ensure workers are protected at work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State officials taking preventive measures, such as conducting heat sweeps ahead of heat waves, has helped, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What will the state committee do?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Assembly Speaker \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/legislator-tracker/robert-rivas-1980/\">Robert Rivas\u003c/a>, who authored legislation creating the advisory committee last year, called the \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/Heat-Advisory-Committee/\">panel of 13\u003c/a> a “solid first step.” He said he will work with the Legislature to do more for workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Climate change is accelerating, and extreme heat and heat-related illnesses are on the rise,” the Salinas Democrat said in a statement. “California is committed to protecting workers’ health and quality of life during extreme heat waves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite near-universal consensus among state officials and advocates that heat reform work is urgent, and despite recent record shattering temperatures, the committee has been given a 2026 deadline to report results to the Legislature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee is set to meet quarterly. The next session is September 19. Members indicated they’ll likely commission a study to guide the committee’s work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no doubt the work this committee will do will save lives,” said Cal/OSHA chief Jeff Killip at the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "how-california-farmworkers-took-on-a-sonoma-winery-over-abuses-and-won",
"title": "How Workers Took on a Sonoma County Vineyard Company Over Abuses — and Won",
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"headTitle": "How Workers Took on a Sonoma County Vineyard Company Over Abuses — and Won | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957505/campesinos-denunciaron-a-un-vinedo-por-abusos-laborales-y-ganaron\">Leer en español\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#correction\">This story contains a correction.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]M[/dropcap]auritson Farms Inc. in Sonoma County will pay $328,077 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">21 of its former workers\u003c/a> as part of a \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885712/settlement-agreement-june-2023.pdf\">settlement\u003c/a> with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) — the largest monetary settlement the agency has reached at its Santa Rosa office. ALRB officials, along with dozens of labor advocates and farmworkers, announced the settlement at a press conference Monday evening in Healdsburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc., which manages vineyards, is a separate and distinct business from \u003ca href=\"https://www.mauritsonwines.com/About-Us/Our-Team\">Mauritson Wines\u003c/a>. Both businesses are owned by the Mauritson family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following an investigation spurred by the farmworkers’ complaints, ALRB officials determined that Mauritson Farms retaliated against an entire crew of former employees because some of them organized at the end of the 2021 growing season to speak out against unsafe working conditions in Mauritson’s vineyards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We must recognize that this is a victory started by workers to defend not just their rights, but their dignity as well,” said organizer Davin Cárdenas at Monday’s conference. Cárdenas is the director of organizing at North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that supported the former Mauritson employees through the ALRB investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a case that sets a precedent for other workers in the region,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, one of the six laborers who spoke up about their treatment at Mauritson\"]‘After so much abuse, I think it’s fair that our rights are respected and we are respected for who we are.’[/pullquote]The workers involved were immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, and were in the country on an H-2A visa, which lets agricultural workers stay in the U.S. for limited periods of time. KQED first reported last year that despite promises from company leadership, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">none of the workers who spoke out were called back from Oaxaca for the 2022 season\u003c/a>. In its complaint filed against Mauritson this past March, the ALRB \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885711/alrb-complaint-march-2023.pdf\">determined that Mauritson not rehiring these laborers constituted an illegal labor practice\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I got the news, I thanked God it went this way, because this was not at all easy. We were very afraid to speak up. It was a complicated process but you have to let go of that fear,” said Martín Sandoval Rivera, one of the workers who spoke up against the conditions at Mauritson Farms. He’s currently in Oaxaca, working several jobs to support his wife who is expecting their first child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandoval Rivera and his colleagues said they experienced verbal harassment from their supervisor, were denied shade while working in the fields on days hotter than 90 degrees and did not receive their break and lunch periods on a few occasions — all of which violates California labor regulations. Six of the workers, including Sandoval Rivera, sought the support of labor rights group North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ) to mediate the situation. NBJWJ arranged a meeting with the workers and company higher-ups in October 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that meeting, vineyard manager Cameron Mauritson promised that conditions would improve and assured the workers that he would hire them again in 2022 — relieving the workers’ biggest worry: being denied future employment for speaking up. Then the company — which workers said had previously handled the recruitment process directly using social media — chose to contract with a third-party recruiter, CIERTO Global, to handle hiring for the 2022 season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group from Oaxaca never had a real chance to come back. According to the ALRB complaint, CIERTO Global recruits exclusively from a completely different state in Mexico for grape-growing companies. On top of that, screengrabs from a Facebook group the Oaxacan workers shared with KQED showed that Mauritson management shared incorrect information on how workers should contact CIERTO for future employment. CIERTO representatives confirmed to KQED that Mauritson’s instructions to either submit a form at a specific location on CIERTO’s website or to email a given email address were false.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These instructions do not reflect our practices involving any of the workers we serve,” a CIERTO representative said in an emailed response. “Mauritson’s instructions were not cleared or disseminated by CIERTO.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11918317]When the workers realized what was happening, they alerted NBJWJ. In February 2022, organizers filed a claim with the ALRB on behalf of the six workers who attended the meeting with Mauritson. Six initially spoke up — but in its investigation, the ALRB found that Mauritson retaliated against the entire 21-person team the six workers belonged to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $328,077 settlement, which will benefit all 21 laborers, represents what the workers lost by missing the 2022 growing season, according to calculations from the ALRB. A hearing with an administrative law judge had been scheduled for later this summer, but the settlement concludes this process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to KQED, Mauritson Farms declared that it “strongly believes that [it was] not in any violation of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA). This settlement is strictly a business decision that allows us to resolve this issue without the need for further litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956408\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956408\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A group of people sit together holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace La Fuerza\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers Antonio Flores (left) and his son Mateo, Rosalba Gutierrez (center) and Valentina Sosa (right) sit at the NBJWJ press conference announcing the settlement with Mauritson at Healdsburg Plaza on Monday. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“After so much abuse, I think it’s fair that our rights are respected and we are respected for who we are,” said Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, one of the six laborers who met with Mauritson. During the past year and a half, he’s hustled to work any job he can find in his rural Oaxacan community to support his wife and two children, and at the same time, kept in touch with ALRB officials who were investigating the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For months, the ALRB worked to track down the 21 workers who were not rehired. After the 2021 season ended, many returned to remote villages in Oaxaca, where access to the internet and cell phone reception is extremely limited and for some, non-existent. Tracking folks down was one challenge, said ALRB regional director Jessica Arciniega. The other was establishing trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With many of our cases, there’s challenges in maintaining communication with workers,” she said. “They [could be] unfamiliar with our process, they [could be] unfamiliar with us, as a government agency. and what we actually do. So they may not always feel 100% ready or comfortable to share all of this information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Ana Salgado, former farmworker and member of the NBJWJ board\"]‘So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have… They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.’[/pullquote]Workers are not just afraid of experiencing further retaliation from the same employer, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">as KQED reported last year, many H-2A employers use a network of recruiters to block workers who speak up from finding a job\u003c/a> in other agricultural industries. In that same story, KQED shared the story of Kevin and Samuel, two former Mauritson employees who were among the six that initially spoke up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin and Samuel were actually aliases for Sandoval Rivera and Bravo Silva, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, both men were very afraid of what the repercussions would be if they shared their identities publicly during the ALRB investigation. As weeks turned into months, Sandoval Rivera felt less and less confident that there would be an answer from officials, especially as his family’s economic situation worsened. “Necessity makes you think many things,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, he and Bravo Silva are glad they waited for the results of the investigation and the settlement. This won’t just benefit them, Bravo Silva says, “but also the immigrant workers who are now working at that company, so that they are respected more and they don’t feel alone. There are laws that protect agricultural workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Celebrating a hard-won victory\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With banners and signs — many of them emblazoned with Emiliano Zapata’s quote “La tierra es de quien la trabaja,” or “The land belongs to those who work it with their hands” — farmworkers and NBJWJ organizers filled up part of Healdsburg’s main plaza for Monday’s press conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You represent the farmworkers who are not able to be here today but whose courage has left us this legacy: that by fighting and finding allies, we, as workers, can achieve many things,” said Ana Salgado former farmworker, community organizer and member of the NBJWJ board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956412\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956412\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person wearing earrings speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace la Fuerza\" and \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ board member and former farmworker Ana Salgado (center) speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Only a few blocks away from that plaza is the community center where Salgado originally met several of the men then working for Mauritson. She remembers the first conversations she had with the laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I looked at one of them and saw the worry in his face,” she said in Spanish, “I reached out to hold his hands and told him, ‘you can open up now, you’re in a safe space.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have because employers tell them that it is a privilege to be brought from Mexico with a visa,” she explained. “They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just law on paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The H-2A visa program is the successor of the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/31/634442195/when-the-u-s-government-tried-to-replace-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers\">which brought Mexican workers to American farms during the 1940s\u003c/a>. The current H-2A system now brings laborers from all over the world to work in the U.S. and as part of the program, employers must provide housing, transportation and meals — giving businesses an incredible amount of power over the personal lives of their workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just like the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://prismreports.org/2023/04/14/h2a-visa-wage-theft-exploitation/\">the H-2A system is rife with wage theft, physical and mental abuse of employees and retaliation from employers for workers who speak up\u003c/a>, according to an 18-month investigation by Prism, Futuro Investigates, and Latino USA published in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956409\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956409\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person with a shaved head speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ Director Davin Cárdenas speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Both the federal government and California have beefed up their labor laws since the 1940s, so why does abuse of H-2A laborers persist?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason is that regulatory agencies need more personnel and resources to enforce labor standards, says Josephine Weinberg, attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), a nonprofit law firm that represents farmworkers who have experienced retaliation and workplace abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have agencies in place. We have a lot of the rules in place. But the mechanisms to really enforce those rules and monitor are really lacking. So it really is just law on paper,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 1 in 3 positions remain vacant at the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, one of the agencies tasked with investigating wage theft and retaliation across all industries in the state. Such understaffing leaves current staff overburdened with cases, which means workers who file a complaint often have to wait years for a result. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">Dozens of agency employees implored lawmakers to take action in a letter obtained by KQED earlier this month\u003c/a>, arguing that “we are failing in our mission if we cannot hire and retain the necessary staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11955920]Over at the ALRB, regional director Arciniega points out that her agency has five offices spread over several agricultural regions, “but California is a humongous state and there’s a lot of farmworkers throughout the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have offices in all of the agricultural regions,” she said, “so we do our best in this large state to cover wherever workers are.” She adds that the department works closely with community and labor organizations, like NBJWJ, to connect with laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But labor advocates insist that more must be done to better enforce labor standards and improve the H-2A program as a whole. Weinberg with the CRLA adds that regulators need to monitor farms more closely, with randomized visits during the growing season. And on the flip side, employers must make it easier for agencies and labor groups to speak to farmworkers in an unrestricted manner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way the H-2A program was designed, where businesses have direct control over their employees’ housing, transportation, immigration status and even food, makes it incredibly difficult for laborers to speak freely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t have access to a place where they feel that they can speak confidentially or anonymously about what’s going on,” Weinberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">announced a $4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11956315]The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">the Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But above all, what really helps folks feel safe enough to speak up, Salgado from NBJWJ says, is knowing that there are cases when the system works in favor of workers. “Without a doubt, the outcome from the Mauritson case, reaffirms the faith amongst ourselves, but also the credibility of the work we do when we go out to talk to the workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>Editor’s note: The original version of this story mischaracterized Mauritson Farms, Inc. as a winery. The story has been updated to clarify the relationship between Mauritson Farms, Inc. and Mauritson Wines.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Tyche Hendricks.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Mauritson Farms Inc. will pay $328,077 to 21 former workers from Oaxaca after California regulators found the Healdsburg company retaliated against them.",
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"title": "How Workers Took on a Sonoma County Vineyard Company Over Abuses — and Won | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957505/campesinos-denunciaron-a-un-vinedo-por-abusos-laborales-y-ganaron\">Leer en español\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#correction\">This story contains a correction.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">M\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>auritson Farms Inc. in Sonoma County will pay $328,077 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">21 of its former workers\u003c/a> as part of a \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885712/settlement-agreement-june-2023.pdf\">settlement\u003c/a> with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) — the largest monetary settlement the agency has reached at its Santa Rosa office. ALRB officials, along with dozens of labor advocates and farmworkers, announced the settlement at a press conference Monday evening in Healdsburg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mauritson Farms Inc., which manages vineyards, is a separate and distinct business from \u003ca href=\"https://www.mauritsonwines.com/About-Us/Our-Team\">Mauritson Wines\u003c/a>. Both businesses are owned by the Mauritson family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following an investigation spurred by the farmworkers’ complaints, ALRB officials determined that Mauritson Farms retaliated against an entire crew of former employees because some of them organized at the end of the 2021 growing season to speak out against unsafe working conditions in Mauritson’s vineyards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We must recognize that this is a victory started by workers to defend not just their rights, but their dignity as well,” said organizer Davin Cárdenas at Monday’s conference. Cárdenas is the director of organizing at North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ), a labor rights group that supported the former Mauritson employees through the ALRB investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a case that sets a precedent for other workers in the region,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The workers involved were immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, and were in the country on an H-2A visa, which lets agricultural workers stay in the U.S. for limited periods of time. KQED first reported last year that despite promises from company leadership, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">none of the workers who spoke out were called back from Oaxaca for the 2022 season\u003c/a>. In its complaint filed against Mauritson this past March, the ALRB \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23885711/alrb-complaint-march-2023.pdf\">determined that Mauritson not rehiring these laborers constituted an illegal labor practice\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I got the news, I thanked God it went this way, because this was not at all easy. We were very afraid to speak up. It was a complicated process but you have to let go of that fear,” said Martín Sandoval Rivera, one of the workers who spoke up against the conditions at Mauritson Farms. He’s currently in Oaxaca, working several jobs to support his wife who is expecting their first child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandoval Rivera and his colleagues said they experienced verbal harassment from their supervisor, were denied shade while working in the fields on days hotter than 90 degrees and did not receive their break and lunch periods on a few occasions — all of which violates California labor regulations. Six of the workers, including Sandoval Rivera, sought the support of labor rights group North Bay Jobs With Justice (NBJWJ) to mediate the situation. NBJWJ arranged a meeting with the workers and company higher-ups in October 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that meeting, vineyard manager Cameron Mauritson promised that conditions would improve and assured the workers that he would hire them again in 2022 — relieving the workers’ biggest worry: being denied future employment for speaking up. Then the company — which workers said had previously handled the recruitment process directly using social media — chose to contract with a third-party recruiter, CIERTO Global, to handle hiring for the 2022 season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group from Oaxaca never had a real chance to come back. According to the ALRB complaint, CIERTO Global recruits exclusively from a completely different state in Mexico for grape-growing companies. On top of that, screengrabs from a Facebook group the Oaxacan workers shared with KQED showed that Mauritson management shared incorrect information on how workers should contact CIERTO for future employment. CIERTO representatives confirmed to KQED that Mauritson’s instructions to either submit a form at a specific location on CIERTO’s website or to email a given email address were false.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These instructions do not reflect our practices involving any of the workers we serve,” a CIERTO representative said in an emailed response. “Mauritson’s instructions were not cleared or disseminated by CIERTO.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>When the workers realized what was happening, they alerted NBJWJ. In February 2022, organizers filed a claim with the ALRB on behalf of the six workers who attended the meeting with Mauritson. Six initially spoke up — but in its investigation, the ALRB found that Mauritson retaliated against the entire 21-person team the six workers belonged to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The $328,077 settlement, which will benefit all 21 laborers, represents what the workers lost by missing the 2022 growing season, according to calculations from the ALRB. A hearing with an administrative law judge had been scheduled for later this summer, but the settlement concludes this process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement emailed to KQED, Mauritson Farms declared that it “strongly believes that [it was] not in any violation of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA). This settlement is strictly a business decision that allows us to resolve this issue without the need for further litigation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956408\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956408\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A group of people sit together holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace La Fuerza\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67230_20230724-NBJWJPresser-10-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farmworkers Antonio Flores (left) and his son Mateo, Rosalba Gutierrez (center) and Valentina Sosa (right) sit at the NBJWJ press conference announcing the settlement with Mauritson at Healdsburg Plaza on Monday. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“After so much abuse, I think it’s fair that our rights are respected and we are respected for who we are,” said Miguel Ángel Bravo Silva, one of the six laborers who met with Mauritson. During the past year and a half, he’s hustled to work any job he can find in his rural Oaxacan community to support his wife and two children, and at the same time, kept in touch with ALRB officials who were investigating the situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For months, the ALRB worked to track down the 21 workers who were not rehired. After the 2021 season ended, many returned to remote villages in Oaxaca, where access to the internet and cell phone reception is extremely limited and for some, non-existent. Tracking folks down was one challenge, said ALRB regional director Jessica Arciniega. The other was establishing trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With many of our cases, there’s challenges in maintaining communication with workers,” she said. “They [could be] unfamiliar with our process, they [could be] unfamiliar with us, as a government agency. and what we actually do. So they may not always feel 100% ready or comfortable to share all of this information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Workers are not just afraid of experiencing further retaliation from the same employer, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11918317/blacklisted-for-speaking-up-how-california-farmworkers-fighting-abuses-are-vulnerable-to-retaliation\">as KQED reported last year, many H-2A employers use a network of recruiters to block workers who speak up from finding a job\u003c/a> in other agricultural industries. In that same story, KQED shared the story of Kevin and Samuel, two former Mauritson employees who were among the six that initially spoke up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kevin and Samuel were actually aliases for Sandoval Rivera and Bravo Silva, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, both men were very afraid of what the repercussions would be if they shared their identities publicly during the ALRB investigation. As weeks turned into months, Sandoval Rivera felt less and less confident that there would be an answer from officials, especially as his family’s economic situation worsened. “Necessity makes you think many things,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, he and Bravo Silva are glad they waited for the results of the investigation and the settlement. This won’t just benefit them, Bravo Silva says, “but also the immigrant workers who are now working at that company, so that they are respected more and they don’t feel alone. There are laws that protect agricultural workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Celebrating a hard-won victory\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With banners and signs — many of them emblazoned with Emiliano Zapata’s quote “La tierra es de quien la trabaja,” or “The land belongs to those who work it with their hands” — farmworkers and NBJWJ organizers filled up part of Healdsburg’s main plaza for Monday’s press conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You represent the farmworkers who are not able to be here today but whose courage has left us this legacy: that by fighting and finding allies, we, as workers, can achieve many things,” said Ana Salgado former farmworker, community organizer and member of the NBJWJ board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956412\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956412\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person wearing earrings speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"La Unión Hace la Fuerza\" and \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67238_20230724-NBJWJPresser-16-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ board member and former farmworker Ana Salgado (center) speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Only a few blocks away from that plaza is the community center where Salgado originally met several of the men then working for Mauritson. She remembers the first conversations she had with the laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I looked at one of them and saw the worry in his face,” she said in Spanish, “I reached out to hold his hands and told him, ‘you can open up now, you’re in a safe space.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So many [H-2A laborers] are afraid of losing the opportunity they have because employers tell them that it is a privilege to be brought from Mexico with a visa,” she explained. “They may be experiencing many abuses but they do not want to say anything because they are afraid of losing what they consider to be a privilege.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Just law on paper’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The H-2A visa program is the successor of the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/07/31/634442195/when-the-u-s-government-tried-to-replace-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers\">which brought Mexican workers to American farms during the 1940s\u003c/a>. The current H-2A system now brings laborers from all over the world to work in the U.S. and as part of the program, employers must provide housing, transportation and meals — giving businesses an incredible amount of power over the personal lives of their workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And just like the Bracero Program, \u003ca href=\"https://prismreports.org/2023/04/14/h2a-visa-wage-theft-exploitation/\">the H-2A system is rife with wage theft, physical and mental abuse of employees and retaliation from employers for workers who speak up\u003c/a>, according to an 18-month investigation by Prism, Futuro Investigates, and Latino USA published in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11956409\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11956409\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt='A person with a shaved head speaks in front of others holding signs reading \"Farmworkers Deserve Disaster Pay\" in an outdoor setting.' width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/07/RS67234_20230724-NBJWJPresser-13-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NBJWJ Director Davin Cárdenas speaks at Monday’s press conference at Healdsburg Plaza. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Both the federal government and California have beefed up their labor laws since the 1940s, so why does abuse of H-2A laborers persist?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One reason is that regulatory agencies need more personnel and resources to enforce labor standards, says Josephine Weinberg, attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), a nonprofit law firm that represents farmworkers who have experienced retaliation and workplace abuse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have agencies in place. We have a lot of the rules in place. But the mechanisms to really enforce those rules and monitor are really lacking. So it really is just law on paper,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 1 in 3 positions remain vacant at the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, one of the agencies tasked with investigating wage theft and retaliation across all industries in the state. Such understaffing leaves current staff overburdened with cases, which means workers who file a complaint often have to wait years for a result. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11955920/california-wage-theft-investigators-staffing-crisis\">Dozens of agency employees implored lawmakers to take action in a letter obtained by KQED earlier this month\u003c/a>, arguing that “we are failing in our mission if we cannot hire and retain the necessary staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Over at the ALRB, regional director Arciniega points out that her agency has five offices spread over several agricultural regions, “but California is a humongous state and there’s a lot of farmworkers throughout the state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have offices in all of the agricultural regions,” she said, “so we do our best in this large state to cover wherever workers are.” She adds that the department works closely with community and labor organizations, like NBJWJ, to connect with laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But labor advocates insist that more must be done to better enforce labor standards and improve the H-2A program as a whole. Weinberg with the CRLA adds that regulators need to monitor farms more closely, with randomized visits during the growing season. And on the flip side, employers must make it easier for agencies and labor groups to speak to farmworkers in an unrestricted manner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way the H-2A program was designed, where businesses have direct control over their employees’ housing, transportation, immigration status and even food, makes it incredibly difficult for laborers to speak freely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don’t have access to a place where they feel that they can speak confidentially or anonymously about what’s going on,” Weinberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 19, Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956315/some-migrant-farmworkers-to-get-free-legal-help-with-immigration\">announced a $4.5 million pilot program to provide free immigration legal services to farmworkers who are involved in state labor investigations\u003c/a>. This would include case review services, legal advice and representation by an attorney to laborers in California who have a pending case with either the ALRB, the Labor Commissioner’s Office or Cal/OSHA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The goal of this program, officials say, is to address one of the fears that prevents employees from speaking up — the fear of losing their visa or not being rehired — by connecting them to immigration experts who could help them find ways to stay in this country. And earlier this year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11940316/fear-of-deportation-keeps-some-workers-from-reporting-labor-abuses-a-new-biden-program-aims-to-change-that\">the Biden administration unveiled a new, streamlined “deferred action” initiative\u003c/a> that allows workers to apply for a work permit and two years of protection from deportation, if they are cooperating with a labor rights investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But above all, what really helps folks feel safe enough to speak up, Salgado from NBJWJ says, is knowing that there are cases when the system works in favor of workers. “Without a doubt, the outcome from the Mauritson case, reaffirms the faith amongst ourselves, but also the credibility of the work we do when we go out to talk to the workers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>Editor’s note: The original version of this story mischaracterized Mauritson Farms, Inc. as a winery. The story has been updated to clarify the relationship between Mauritson Farms, Inc. and Mauritson Wines.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Tyche Hendricks.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"source": "American Public Media"
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"masters-of-scale": {
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"on-the-media": {
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"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
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"order": 14
},
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
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