Testimony on Assembly Bill 1890 (Aguiar-Curry)

My name is Peter Rumble. I have the pleasure of serving Napa’s agricultural community as the Chief Executive of the Napa County Farm Bureau. I am grateful to be here, in partnership with the County of Napa, to respectfully request your YES vote on AB 1890.

The Napa County Farm Bureau was formed in 1913. With well over 1,000 members today, it is the largest and oldest trade organization in Napa County. We represent multi-generational family farmers, agricultural producers, cattle ranchers, and all forms of agriculture. Our industry employs roughly 70% of the workforce in Napa, and produces over 11 billion dollars a year in economic output that helps fund State and local government.

The Agricultural industry is also a proud partner in this public-private partnership, the Napa Farmworker Centers. As Supervisor Cottrell noted, starting in 2002 every farmer in Napa County has voted – and reaffirmed 4 times – to assess themselves to provide a significant portion of the revenue needed to operate the farmworker centers.

My members continue to vote for this assessment because it is an example of successful partnership, it is an example of government using its resources well and wisely, and because the farmworker centers provide a crucial benefit to the labor force that makes Napa the greatest wine producing region in the world.

That workforce, our farmworkers, are welcome at any center with an open bed. Employers do not control access or place any other conditions on this safe, secure, comfortable housing. Admission and management of the centers are provided through a non-profit organization under the oversight of the County.

As examples of the industry’s commitment to our farmworkers and this partnership, the roughly 12 acres of land for the centers, valued well above $5M, was donated by private ag producers. I am a proud member of an industry coalition that raises over $100k a year to donate to the centers. And, since 2002, the industry’s self-assessment and lodger rents have increased. State support, however, has not.

The State’s investment is sound – leveraging roughly 10 local dollars for every 1 dollar in State funding; it is impactful, and directly supports farmworkers in Napa. I encourage you to see what we have done together – the agricultural industry, State and Local government, and non-profit – as an example of what we can do Statewide to better support our California farmworkers.

But, we need more than that recognition to continue, we need the State’s increased support. We welcome you to Napa to see this success for yourself. And, we ask you to support AB1890.

Frequently Asked Questions

·        Have you seen or are you concerned about ICE enforcement efforts on or around your farmworker centers?

o   We have not seen, nor are we aware of, any federal immigration enforcement interest in our farmworker centers. The centers do not receive any federal funding, nor will we pursue federal funding for them, so no information about lodgers is shared with federal authorities.

·        Do the centers house undocumented immigrants?

o   We do not know and we do not ask. Our rental contracts are with the lodgers directly, not with their employers, and we do not ask for any information from lodgers about their immigration status.

·        Do the centers house H2A visa holders?

o   The centers do not and structurally cannot support lodging for H2A visa holders, nor have they ever lodged H2A visa holders. H2A visa applications require employers to provide advance proof of lodging.  Our centers are night-by-night, and we work directly with lodgers, not with their employers. Our two primary purposes in operating these centers are lodger safety and security and providing flexible lodging for farmworkers. Earmarking some of those beds in advance for use in a federal visa program, which would require disclosure of these centers by employers as the source of lodging, is not consistent with either of those purposes. Allowing employers to house H2A visa holders in these centers would similarly be inconsistent with the publicly- and privately-subsidized nature of these beds.

·        How is it that the County keeps beds available year-round?

o   The County staggers month-long closures of each of the three centers over the shoulder season, ensuring that at least one center is always open. Two centers are open starting each January and all three are open by February.

·        What kind of benefits do the centers provide to lodgers?

o   Rent is $18 per night.  For this rate, lodgers can access:

o   2 hot meals and a packed lunch, every day.

o   Healthcare on site from providers employed by a Federally Qualified Health Center.

o   English-as-a-Second-Language classes.

o   Laundry services.

o   Free high-speed wi-fi access.

o   Housing navigation services.

o   Immigration legal services.

·        Has the County considered converting these dormitory-style centers to family units?

o   The County has considered conversion, but has not pursued it for two reasons: the existing layouts make conversion cost-prohibitive, and the average nightly occupancy rate of 95% shows us that these centers fill a need for dormitory-style housing. These centers are just one prong of our approach to farmworker housing.  The County of Napa aggressively pursues all viable opportunities for Serna funding and, working with nonprofit partners, delivered multiple farmworker housing projects and dedicated units over the past seven years that we’ve received the set-aside State funding allocation for these centers. If the State were interested in participating to a greater extent for a fourth family unit center, we would be amenable to future collaboration.