California farmworkers under strain amid wildfires and pandemic

Half Moon Bay, California – On a recent foggy morning at a ranch outside Half Moon Bay, California, the air was thick with the smell of smoke. Now, with this smoke, they can’t even play outside.” Farmworkers evacuated On August 16, lightning strikes ignited a series of fires that then merged together to become the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, which has burned more than 85,000 acres of land in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, destroying 1,487 structures and killing at least one person. “We’re still waiting on more data for a better picture of the effects of the virus, but agricultural production is about the same in 2020 as 2019, so work availability should reflect that,” said Philip Martin, professor emeritus of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. That puts pressure on people who already aren’t making a lot.” ‘They need help’ Local community aid organisations, such as ALAS, have reported significant upticks in farmworkers’ use of food pantries and services like rental assistance in recent months. “There’s so much stress in these communities, and I’m not sure I see those in influential positions making the structural changes, like immigration reform, or expanding Medicaid to undocumented people, they urgently need in order to thrive.” While many evacuated families have been able to return to their homes, Yolanda Martinez, a mother of five, has now been evacuated for more than two weeks, first at the hotel in San Carlos, now at another hotel in San Mateo, wondering if her home has burned down, and worrying about her family’s future.