Farmworkers voice concerns at Santa Barbara County forum

On Dec. 5, Santa Barbara County migrant farmworkers received a chance to directly voice their concerns to state officials at an evening forum held at the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Administration Building in Santa Maria. 

The meeting room and lobby were packed as farmworkers expressed their concerns about specific working conditions among the local agricultural industry. Such issues included exposure to pesticides, alleged wage theft, and paid breaks, among others. 

Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara County’s 1st District Supervisor, said he and 3rd District Supervisor Janet Wolf decided to hold the meeting after the board received numerous requests from concerned citizens over the last several months. 

The meeting, which lasted two hours, was a chance for representatives of local and state agencies such as the county District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), and Cal/OSHA to hear grievances directly, rather than through a patchwork of bureaucracy.  

With several speaking in Spanish, farmworkers and their families aired their concerns, many of which dealt with pesticide exposure. 

Erika Monterroza, the communications director at the DIR, offered to speak to several farmworkers after the meeting. Other speakers included representatives of farming interests, such as Claire Wineman from the Santa Barbara County Grower-Shipper Association.

Hazel Davalos, the community organizing director for the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, also spoke before the panel. She expressed support of a county farmworker bill of rights that would include protections from pesticides for pregnant women, aid for victims of sexual assault, clean bathrooms, and it would require that the agencies enforce existing labor laws in Santa Barbara County.

“Frankly, our area is kind of neglected,” Davalos old the Sun. 

“They’re statewide agencies, but they simply don’t have the power for enforcement.” 

Deputy District Attorney John Savronch, who was on the panel, said that his office prosecutes the types of wage theft claims alleged by some of the farmworkers that evening at the county building. However, investigating such claims is the function of the labor commission. 

The bill of rights also calls for the creation of an ombudsman office staffed by one person who will manage a single local hotline for farmworkers to report labor issues.

At the meeting, representatives from the county talked about the 211 helpline, which is a 24/7 referral service for residents to receive information on health and human services as well as for disaster relief. It was implemented by the county in 2005, according to its website, 211santabarbaracounty.org. 

Carbajal, who is the new representative-elect for California’s 24th Congressional District, called for a clearinghouse of information for workers to access on a state level. 

“To go into an office and fill out paperwork is often difficult,” Carbajal told the Sun.

This article appears in Dec 8-15, 2016.