farmworkers

Central Coast farmworkers working through Thomas Fire without protections

By Greta Mart • Dec 13, 2017
CAUSE

Over one hundred thousand people are now evacuated from the Thomas Fire, burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. But workers in the area’s agricultural fields stayed on the job, breathing in smoke and ash as they pick strawberry and celery crops.

Possible pesticide exposure sickens Salinas farmworkers

By Greta Mart • Jun 26, 2017
Greta Mart/KCBX

An investigation continues this week into a suspected June 22 insecticide poisoning of 18 farmworkers in Salinas.

The Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office is conducting the investigation. The county’s assistant AG commissioner, Bob Roach, said Monday afternoon that all but one of the sickened workers returned to the job the following day.

Who burned down farmworker housing in Nipomo, California?

By Latino USA/Alissa Escarce • Apr 19, 2017
Randy Fuller/Latino USA

Latino USA recently reexamined the 2016 fire in Nipomo that destroyed farmworker housing under construction. 

New law phases in overtime pay for farmworkers

By Julia Mitric/Capital Public Radio • Dec 29, 2016
Dan Long/Flickr

A hotly contested law to phase in new overtime pay for farmworkers got lots of buzz when Governor Jerry Brown signed it into law earlier this year. That "phase in" won't begin until 2019 but one provision goes into effect on Sunday.  

Farmworkers invited to 'air grievances' at town hall meeting

By Greta Mart • Dec 5, 2016
http://bit.ly/2gUrq87

Central Coast farmworkers are invited to a town hall meeting Monday night in Santa Maria. Santa Barbara County supervisors Janet Wolf and Salud Carbajal are hosting the meeting, and they say the public workshop is intended to be a space for farmworkers to “air grievances” and describe living and working conditions in the area’s agricultural industry.

Fear could be one reason for ongoing field worker shortage at Central Coast farms

By Geovanni Ximénez-García • Jun 1, 2016
Geovanni Ximénez-García/KCBX News

California’s Central Coast is suffering from an ongoing farm worker shortage.

Camp proposed in Northern Santa Barbara County would house hundreds of farmworkers

By Jordan Bell • May 25, 2016
Santa Barbara County Planning Commission

An effort to help ease a shortage of farm workers on the Central Coast is underway in Santa Barbara County, as plans for a large housing project for temporary field workers are in the final stages. 

Farmworker conditions at center of proposed berry boycott

By Jordan Bell • Feb 25, 2016
Tom Wilmer

  An ongoing push for improved working conditions in berry fields along the West Coast is set for ramp-up in the coming weeks.