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CA: Governor wants emergency farmworker housing for freeze victims
AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 2/13/07 | Garance Burke - ap

Posted on 02/13/2007 8:39:35 PM PST by NormsRevenge

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Tuesday for farmworker housing centers to be used as emergency homeless shelters for those affected by January's cold snap that destroyed more than $1 billion in crops and left thousands without jobs.

Schwarzenegger also allocated an extra $100,000 to the United Farm Workers Foundation for reaching out to freeze victims.

More than 20,000 field and packing house workers lost their jobs following last month's bout of subfreezing temperatures across the state.

Last week another community group, La Cooperativa Campesina de California, received an additional $1.75 million in state emergency funds to help workers in Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Riverside and Ventura counties pay rent, mortgages and utility bills.

Affected counties also can take advantage of up to $85 million in federal housing funds to help affected families pay rent or repair their homes, the governor's office said.

State officials also are considering converting farmworker housing units normally closed during winter into emergency homeless shelters in Kern, Merced, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Monterey, and Madera counties. One such facility already has opened in Shafter, the governor's office said.

The Department of Housing and Community Development said it would be up to local housing authorities and nonprofits that operate the housing centers to decide whether farmworkers would need to show proof of legal status to stay there.

Legal status also has been an issue in the town of Wasco, where farmworker advocates are lobbying on behalf of undocumented laborers who fear they'll be evicted from their low-rent apartments. The units are managed by the Wasco Housing Authority in agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which requires that tenants meet income requirements, work in the fields - and possess documents proving they are legal U.S. residents.

State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, said Tuesday opening the state's idea of opening emergency shelters was a good first step, but said the governor should grant eligible farm laborers the right to stay for a year, regardless of their immigration status.

"As long as you can show you have a work stub and have a farm labor job, you should be eligible for housing," Florez said. "If we don't get this right, we're going to lose our workforce."

Schwarzenegger said the additional funds recently announced were intended to tide residents over until President Bush signs a federal aid package that would include reauthorization of a federal mortgage and rental assistance program.

The governor proclaimed states of emergency in 22 counties and has appropriated nearly $1 million in financial relief for area food banks.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; US: California
KEYWORDS: aliens; california; emergency; farmworker; freeze; governor; housing; victims

1 posted on 02/13/2007 8:39:37 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

The freeze *victims* !!? C'mon... what's next ? Can I be called a 'economy downturn victim' and get govm't housing ?


2 posted on 02/13/2007 8:41:16 PM PST by farlander (Strategery - sure beats liberalism!)
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To: farlander

The freeze was severe. If it did to their crops what it did to our yard, they have been devastated.


3 posted on 02/13/2007 8:47:48 PM PST by BonnieJ
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To: farlander

They can just go back home to Mexico. It's a lot warmer there.


4 posted on 02/13/2007 8:48:58 PM PST by Ron in Acreage (VOTE DEMOCRAT--TERRORISTS ARE COUNTING ON IT)
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To: NormsRevenge
If there are no jobs, they should be going home - to Mexico.

If they need emergency shelters, the farmers that hired them should provide it at their expense, not the taxpayers.

And if you have to provide taxpayer monies, then use the money to transport them back to Mexico where it is nice and warm.
5 posted on 02/13/2007 8:52:10 PM PST by DB
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To: NormsRevenge

But what about the Global Warming? Won't that keep them from freezing?


6 posted on 02/13/2007 8:55:49 PM PST by w1andsodidwe (Jimmy Carter allowed radical Islam to get a foothold in Iran.)
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To: NormsRevenge

From the title, I thought the state was taking farm property.


7 posted on 02/13/2007 9:12:27 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: BonnieJ

I'm very sorry about that, but I don't see how that is a taxpayer problem. If I make a factory and it burns down I don't expect the taxpayer to pay for that. I better have insurance, or it's my own problem.


8 posted on 02/13/2007 9:32:04 PM PST by farlander (Strategery - sure beats liberalism!)
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To: NormsRevenge

As described here, the LCCC's members have budgets of around $100 million:

http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/006290.html

And, Arnie took growers along with him on his trip to Mexico, and he's linked to at least one other grower. While this plan will no doubt be defended as humanitarian, it's about as humanitarian as serfdom.


9 posted on 02/13/2007 9:48:44 PM PST by lonewacko_dot_com (http://lonewacko.com/blog)
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To: lonewacko_dot_com

Also, it's not difficult to speak to a real live human at Arnie's office: 916-445-2841 The ones I've spoken to appear to be a bit more than just message takers.


10 posted on 02/13/2007 9:50:13 PM PST by lonewacko_dot_com (http://lonewacko.com/blog)
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To: CindyDawg
From the title, I thought the state was taking farm property.

Coming soon!

11 posted on 02/13/2007 10:41:47 PM PST by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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