Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meets with farmworkers advocating for dignified wages

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting with Alianza Campesina to discuss dignified wages for local farm workers on Tuesday in Santa Maria.

Alianza Campesina is a local partnership between two non-profit organizations, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) and Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP).

Together they advocate for farmworkers who are considered essential workers as of 2020, deemed so during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alianza Campesina asked the SBC Board of Supervisors to grant farmworkers a minimum wage of $26 dollars an hour.

Advocates said this pay will help families who live on the Central Coast who endure higher prices in rent, food, and fuel gas. They also add that farmworkers work in dangerous and deadly conditions nationwide and struggle to afford basic living expenses, including rent, food, and medical care.

Inturn, advocates said corporations such as Driscoll's, have massive profit's from the labor of farmworkers and bring in billions of dollars in revenue.

The meeting held a panel discussion on a living wage, followed by testimonies from farmworkers and loved ones.

Advocates are urging the Board to take action and secure a living wage for farmworkers who sustain the agricultural industry in Santa Barbara County.