California farmworkers cheer new housing in town scarred by mass shooting
Al Jazeera
California’s high cost of living has pushed many agricultural labourers into cramped and unserviced housing.
Half Moon Bay, California – Almost a year and a half after a mass shooting took the lives of seven farmworkers in the town of Half Moon Bay, California, a new project is seeking to address the poor living conditions experienced by many of the area’s agricultural workers.
On Tuesday, the city’s planning commission approved a proposal for a 40-unit building that will serve as lodging for elderly farmworkers, some of whom continue working into their 70s and 80s due to low wages and the sky-high cost of living.
The decision comes after the 2023 shooting prompted an outcry over the ramshackle housing available for Half Moon Bay’s farmworkers.
Politicians visiting after the bloodshed, including Governor Gavin Newsom, noted that some farmworkers were even living in shipping containers.
“After the shooting, everyone’s eyes were on Half Moon Bay, and politicians and the community were rallying around our farmworkers,” said Belinda Hernandez Arriaga, founder of the group Ayudando Latinos A Sonar (ALAS), which provides support and services for local farmworkers.
