(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Presidential Candidates, Senator Kamala Harris, and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julián Castro have sent their support to Assemblymember Robert Rivas today.
Harris and Castro sent letters to Governor Gavin Newsom, urging him to sign Rivas’ Assembly Bill 1783, the Farmworker Housing Act of 2019.
AB 1783, authored by Assemblymember Robert Rivas, creates an opt-in, streamlined process to build farmworker housing on surplus agricultural land, sets quality standards to ensure that the new housing is dignified and family friendly, and puts safeguards in place to protect the environment.
“California’s housing crisis isn’t just an urban problem – it affects our rural agricultural areas, and our farmworkers have been hit particularly hard. In fact, our farmworkers are living in substandard and absolutely appalling conditions. They are living in garages, tents, vans, abandoned buildings, and under freeway overpasses,” explained Rivas.
“For far too long, the farmworkers who make it possible to feed our families have lived in poverty, without dignified and healthy housing,” said Secretary Julián Castro. “I’m proud to put forward a sweeping platform to support America’s farmworkers, and to join Assemblyman Rivas in urging Governor Newsom to sign AB 1783 to address the critical shortage of farmworker housing in our country.”
“This is a humanitarian crisis, and we have a moral responsibility to act,” stated Rivas, who himself grew up in farmworker housing. “I sincerely thank Senator Kamala Harris and Secretary Castro for supporting this effort to address a critical shortage by building dignified, family-friendly housing for the workers who keep us fed and help drive our agricultural communities and state economy.”
“I respectfully urge Governor Newsom to support our farmworkers and sign this bill into law before the October 13th legislative deadline,” stated Rivas.
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Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) represents the 30th Assembly District. This district includes the communities of Aromas, Big Sur, Chualar, Gilroy, Greenfield, Gonzales, Hollister, King City, Morgan Hill, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Soledad, Spreckels, and Watsonville.