Tell your State MoC's to support the California Farmworker COVID-19 Relief Package
State Assemblyman Phil Ting (CA Assembly District 19)
Sacramento Office: (916) 319-2019
SF Office: (415) 557-2312
Email: Contact Form
State Assemblymember David Chiu (CA Assembly District 17)
Sacramento Office: (916) 319-2017
SF Office: (415) 557-3013
Email: Contact Form
State Senator Scott Wiener
Sacramento Office: (916) 651-4011
SF Office: (415) 557-1300
Email: https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/contact
Note: Due to shelter-in-place orders during the Covid-19 emergency, it may be more effective to use email or Resistbot to contact the MoC’s office. It is important to use your own words in emails to elected officials, but feel free to use our sample script below as a guide.
My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
Our farm workers are some of the most important people in our state. Much more must be done to help keep them, healthy, safe and protected, especially during the COVID-19 emergency. I want you to support and vote for the California Farmworker COVID-19 Relief Package that was just introduced by Assemblyman Rivas.
This package of bills treats farm workers with the societal respect they deserve, and provides a safety net which will help California keep our state's and nation's food supply going strong. Farm workers need your help, and your vote, so please support the California Farmworker COVID-19 Relief Package.
Background
California's farmworkers are some of the most important people in our state, doing some of the most essential work, with some of the very least pay, least healthcare access, least support, and fewest protections. Many are undocumented workers just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, doing the jobs that much of America won't do.
At the very least, we owe them our absolute support and do what we can to help keep them and their families safe, and in effect, helping protect our food supply. Assemblymember Rivas (D-Hollister) has introduced a package of bills that do just that.
The following bills are contained in the California Farmworker COVID-19 Relief Package:
AB 2915: Farmworker COVID-19 Health and Safety Act (to be amended)
Expands paid sick leave for farmworkers from 3 days to 2 weeks
Provides for supplemental hazard pay, to compensate farmworkers for increased health and child care costs
Directs subsidies to county, employer, and private child care providers, who provide care to farmworker children
Codifies comprehensive Cal/OSHA guidance on how agricultural businesses should protect and train agricultural workers vis-a-vis COVID-19, including providing them face masks and gloves -- Funds an outreach campaign of public service announcements and workplace signs, in both English and Spanish, to educate farmworkers on Cal/OSHA guidance
Provides temporary housing for agricultural workers, to mitigate overcrowding and allow for appropriate social distancing
Authorizes a comprehensive survey of farmworker housing conditions, including labor camps and H-2A housing, resulting in statewide recommendations to ensure the health and safety of farmworkers
AB 2956: Agriculture Labor Shortage and Overtime Act
Provides an agricultural overtime tax credit, to mitigate the industry labor shortage by subsidizing the cost of businesses paying overtime to existing workers
AB 2164: Telehealth and e-Consult Services Act
Deploys telehealth and e-consult services for rural and community hospitals
AB 3155: Moderate Income Housing Act
Streamlines the approval process for smaller unit housing developments, to benefit farm workers as well as other low-to-moderate income residents
AB 2165: Access to Justice and Electronic Court Filings Act
Expands the availability of electronic filing to all state trial courts, since access to courthouses is a serious problem in many farmworker communities