San Mateo County officials have launched a special task force they said would improve the living conditions of farmworkers who reside in employer-provided housing, county officials announced Monday.
The announcement came in response to the Half Moon Bay mass shooting, which exposed the "deplorable conditions" in which the targeted victims lived.
Days after the shooting, County Executive Mike Callagy said that the residential units at California Terra Garden, where the first shooting occurred, are “substandard and not really livable.”
And Supervisor Ray Mueller told the Pulse, "No one’s going to go back there.”
“We understand many farmers and ranchers in the county are doing things the right way, providing legally permitted farmworker housing. But the goal must be 100% compliance, to find those living in the shadows who need help. This work will ensure that every farmworker lives in a safe, healthy and legally permitted home,” Mueller said in Monday's announcement.
A 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture census counted 241 total labor farms. Of these, 224 were less than 500 acres, and 17 were 500 acres or larger.
Local farming operations rely on a mix of migrant and permanent laborers. According to the census, 57% of farms hire farm labor. No data is provided on employer-provided housing.
The majority of migrant workers and some permanent workers rely on on-farm housing that is provided by their employers. Under local regulations, farm operators must obtain permits from the county if they provide housing for five or more workers.
The goal of the county’s new task force will be to ensure compliance with local and state rules and regulations that affect the health and safety of employer-providing housing for farmworkers and their families.
The task force will rely on complaints and relevant state and local laws to identify unpermitted farm-labor housing sites.
The task force includes members from the following departments:
- Planning and building
- Environmental Health
- Agriculture/weights and measures
- The county attorney’s office
- The district attorney
On Feb. 14, the Board of Supervisors is set to vote on a proposal to allocate $750,000 to house the workers displaced in the Jan. 23 shooting incident. Since the tragedy, the county has provided emergency housing and support services for 19 families.
On Jan. 23, a gunman allegedly opened fire in two separate shootings in an unincorporated area of Half Moon Bay and killed seven people.
