The Mads Place development in Nipomo will no longer go forward as temporary farmworker housing under the federal H-2A program following a fire that destroyed one of the development’s structures last week.
Greg and Donna France, owners of Mar Vista Berry Farms, were purchasing a development of seven three-bedroom homes with the controversial intent to house up to 16 workers per structure under H-2A, which provides temporary housing to foreign farmworkers. On Wednesday, April 6, one of the houses was destroyed in a fire.
“The crime of arson and continued threats against the property, prospective workers and ourselves has raised our concerns about the ability to ensure the safety of the workers and to maintain a safe environment for the neighbors,” the Frances stated in a news release. “We do not want to see anyone hurt, not our workers and certainly not any of the neighbors.”
Cal Fire officials initially confirmed to the Sun that they suspected arson as the fire’s cause, but after later questioning, officials only said the cause is under investigation and arson is a possibility.
Still, the Frances said arson is the reason they won’t go through with their plan to provide housing for their workers—and the couple is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information that could lead to an alleged arsonist’s arrest.
“To the individual(s) who committed the crime of arson and made multiple and serious threats of further harm, you have not won,” their news release said. “Violence and intolerance are never the solution and we are saddened to have seen it emerge in our community of Nipomo.”
The Frances received threatening comments on news articles about the fire. A frightening, racist letter was also sent to the couple’s old business office, according to California Strawberry Commission Communications Director Carolyn O’Donnell.
O’Donnell could not confirm whether the Frances will still purchase the Nipomo development, but they will definitely not be using it for H-2A housing, she said.
“They’re just taking it one step at a time,” O’Donnell said. “At this point in time, they are not going forward with having it be housing for badly needed farmworkers.”
In their release, the Frances apologized for springing their plans for the development onto its neighbors.
“We take responsibility for not communicating about our plans for these new homes with our neighbors sooner,” the news release said. “We reiterate our apology for that today.”
The Frances also said farmworker housing remains a critical issue in the agricultural community, and farmworker employers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will continue to struggle in this area.
“It will be important for the agricultural community and the community-at-large to work together to find solutions that will provide quality housing for these hard-working individuals who legally and temporarily come to this country to improve their own lives and the lives of their families in Mexico,” the release said. “These workers are responsible for harvesting the crops that reach our own tables.”
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 5, 2016.