Legislative Briefing: Rural & Farm Worker Housing Needs

March 29, 2017

The purpose of the briefing is to provide an overview of the unique housing conditions and challenges of rural and farm worker communities, especially given the current political environment, and the partnerships among federal, state, business, and local stakeholders needed to address housing needs.  A tentative agenda is listed below. 
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Briefing Agenda:

  1. Welcome by Senator Ben Hueso and Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia

2.   Panel #1: Rural and Farm Worker Housing, Labor, and Environmental Issues

  • Rural and Farm Worker Housing Needs, Dr. Robert Wiener, California Rural Housing Coalition
  • Agricultural Labor Trends, Dr. Don Villarejo, California Institute for Rural Studies
  • Farm Worker Environmental Issues, Adenike Adeyeye, Earth Justice

3.   Panel #2: Current Status of Farm Workers and Their Communities

  • Human Impacts of Federal Policies on Farm Workers and Their Families, Sabino Lopez, Community Organizer, Center for Community Advocacy
  • Legal Issues Facing Farm Workers and Their Housing, Ilene Jacobs, California Rural Legal Assistance

4.   Panel #3: Innovative Rural and Farm Worker Housing Solutions

  • Developing Healthy Rural Housing, Tom Collishaw, President and CEO, Self-Help Enterprises
  • Developing Farm Worker Housing Along the Coast, Alfred Diaz-Infante, President and CEO, CHISPA
  • Developing Farm Worker Housing in Central California, Vanessa Guerra, Project Manager, Mutual Housing California

5.   Questions and Answers