Good morning, Inequality Insights readers. This week’s newsletter is a joint effort by the Divide team.
CalMatters’ reporter Jeanne Kuang investigated why, despite state law changes and other law enforcement efforts, farmworkers continue to be killed traveling to and from the fields.
California has long faced challenges ensuring safe transportation for farmworkers. Recently a collision in Madera County resulted in seven farmworkers’ deaths and has reignited concerns about whether the state’s regulations are effective.
“It’s a tough blow that we still can’t recover from,” said Oscar Ruiz, whose friend, 57-year-old Roberto Flores, was killed in the Feb. 23 crash.
A crash in 1999 killed 13 farmworkers, prompting state officials to implement stringent safety measures for farmworker commutes. Vehicles taking nine or more farmworkers to and from the fields had to have seatbelts for all passengers and were to be certified and inspected every 13 months.
These regulations have led to significant reductions in fatalities in state-regulated vehicles.
However, since then, smaller unregulated vans carrying eight or fewer passengers have become more prevalent; they’re not covered by the law. Since 2012 accidents involving uncertified or unregulated vehicles have claimed at least 54 lives, highlighting a critical gap in safety oversight.
The California Highway Patrol is certifying fewer vehicles, from 1,275 in the program’s first year to just 55 last year. Its focus has shifted from enforcement to education, with officers spending more time teaching workers about seatbelt use than inspecting vehicles.
Ruben Rosalez, western regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s wage and hour Division, pointed out that safety issues arise from growers and contractors shirking responsibility.
“The industry has had this underground transportation system for years,” Rosalez said. “Most growers don’t want the responsibility, so they push it down to the foreman to make arrangements.”
DON’T MISS
Big broadband cuts. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new budget proposal calls for $2 billion in cuts to public broadband projects meant to bring high-speed internet to all Californians and close the digital divide, CalMatters’ Khari Johnson reported. People with disabilities, who identify as Black or Hispanic, who live in rural communities, or have a high school degree or less education are least likely to have high-speed home internet access, a survey showed.
Economic immobility. How hard is it to climb out of poverty if you were born into it? A new 517-page national study says 19 – 34% of children born in poverty in 1980 were still poor as adults — twice as high as the 17% of adults who did not grow up in poverty but are poor now. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study shows 37% of Black children and 46% Native American children were likely to remain in low-income status as adults compared to children are Asian (17%), Latino (25%) or White (29%).
Needs improvement. City National Bank, based in Los Angeles, recently got a “needs to improve” rating from the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for its lending record. Last year the bank paid $31 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit accusing it of violating discrimination laws by avoiding lending in Black or Latino neighborhoods. The bank denied breaking any laws but announced several efforts to reinforce its commitment to equal credit opportunities.
Hate claims. Someone dropped anti-Jewish flyers in baggies on driveways in Clovis neighborhoods, in the Fresno area Sunday. Police sent extra patrols but said no crime had been committed, the GV Wire reported. The same weekend homes in San Diego and La Mesa, a suburb, also received flyers but police were investigating it as a “hate incident.” Assemblymember Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, authored a bill that would let victims of “hate littering” pursue claims of up to $25,000 for ”intimidation by threat of violence,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Homeowners’ money. With home values soaring in recent years, the wealth gap between homeowners and renters has hit an historic high, new Urban Institute research shows. In the last 33 years, homeowners’ median wealth grew by almost $165,000, while renters’ wealth ticked up $5,800. A typical homeowner is $390,000 wealthier than a typical renter, and renters have less money to save or invest.
Just transitioning. Kern County is trying to transition away from oil drilling — which has cut thousands of jobs as the state pursues green energy — toward a carbon capture future. That plan involves storing carbon dioxide generated from manufacturing in the underground places oil used to be, Grist reported. Mostly Latino residents live in parts of the county that could be exposed to potential carbon dioxide leaks, advocate groups warn.
Half Moon Bay moves. A year after a mass shooting left seven farmworkers dead in Half Moon Bay and revealed squalid living conditions, city officials approved a 40-unit housing project — after delays and a contentious public meeting that ended after midnight Wednesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened legal action last week if Half Moon Bay continued stalling the project.
An Inland Empire future. CalMatters reporter Deborah Sullivan reported on efforts by Inland Empire leaders to reverse the region’s declining graduation rates and over-reliance on warehouse jobs. The executives talked up college courses on cybersecurity, entrepreneurship and supply chain management, as well as expanding career opportunities in health care and a revitalized former Air Force base that now employs more people as the San Bernardino International Airport.
Thanks for following our work on the California Divide team. While you’re here, please tell us what kinds of stories you’d love to read. Email us at inequalityinsights@calmatters.org.
Thanks for reading,
The California Divide Team