Farmworkers Air Grievances in Packed Forum
They Spoke Against Pesticide Exposure, Union Busting, and Employer Misconduct
The Santa Maria Betteravia Government Center Hearing Room was so packed Monday evening for a town hall meeting about farmworkers’ harsh conditions that county firefighters opened the accordion doors to allow people to spill into the foyer, many followed by bustling small children.
For the better part of the year, advocates with CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) pressed the county supervisors — specifically board chair Peter Adam, who co-owns a giant family farm — to host a hearing at which farmworkers could speak openly about the struggles they endure every day. In October, county supervisors Janet Wolf and Salud Carbajal finally agreed.
At a time when the election of Donald Trump has instilled fear about deportation in immigrant communities, the event functioned in part as a space for grievances to come to light. Of the 17,000 farmworkers in North County, CAUSE believes 72 percent are undocumented. Monday’s meeting offered translations in Spanish and Mixtec.
