On the June 22 episode of “SoCal Update,” Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a revised budget to allocate $35 million to fund Universal Basic Income pilot programs. The funding is intended to target low-income Californians and Sen. Melissa Hurtado of Sanger wants to prioritize agricultural farmworkers. Melissa Montalvo of the Fresno Bee explains why.
The Valley is getting hotter and drier, and leaders said Monday that red tape stands between their small communities and access to water.
The leaders from Avenal, Lamont and Teviston, all of which face serious water shortages, spoke with state Senator Melissa Hurtado during a Zoom conference. The communities have fewer than 15,000 residents — around 1,200 residents live in Teviston.
For now, jobs for farm workers are plentiful. But come this fall, when the full impact of the 2021 drought hits, those jobs may dry up as quickly as last winter’s rains. To cushion the economic blows of the drought on farm workers, state Sen.
A Fresno-area politician wants California to prioritize struggling San Joaquin Valley farmworkers in a proposed pilot program that would put cash in the hands of some the state’s impoverished residents. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) issued a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom last week urging the state to prioritize California’s “displaced, underemployed, or unemployed farmworkers” for the Universal Basic Income pilot program
SACRAMENTO — Tuesday, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) and her colleagues sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting that the proposed Universal Basic Income Pilot Program in this year’s budget proposal include farmworkers who have been displaced by drought and a Supplemental Guaranteed Income to farmworkers who have had their hours significantly reduced due to drought.
June 4, 2021 - SACRAMENTO, CA – On Thursday, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) issued the following statement regarding a bi-partisan letter she sent that urges the California Water Commission to prioritize water storage projects in the Central Valley when assessing how to reallocate funds from Proposition 1:
A bill to offer food assistance benefits to undocumented immigrants gained momentum in the California Legislature this week, and its backers are now hoping funds for the initiative survive the budget negotiations underway between lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A bill to offer food assistance benefits to undocumented immigrants is gaining momentum in the state legislature. Advocates say it could benefit up to a million Californians who don’t qualify for federally-funded CalFresh food stamps.