Fresno, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement after her bill, Senate Bill 393—The Farmworker Access to Childcare Act—was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom:

“Our migrant farmworkers uproot their lives to provide the food we eat—they are the backbone of our community,” said Senator Hurtado. “While many stayed at home to avoid COVID-19 infections, migrant workers traveled across the state, working long hours to ensure we had food on the table. Their travel to meet our needs leads to instability and unreliability when it comes to childcare options. The Farmworker Access to Childcare Act will help ease the burden migrant workers face when relocating to new communities, easing the burden they face to obtain childcare. I applaud the Governors continued support for our farmworkers through his signature of SB 393.”

“Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 393 is recognition that our migrant workers, who show up every single day to work in the fields so that families and children will continue to have food on their table, deserve fair and equitable access to child care that supports their critical work and allows them to support their own children,” said Denyne Micheletti Colburn, CEO, California Alternative Payment Program Association (CAPPA.)

“Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) is thrilled that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 393 into law and we want to extend our thanks to the Governor and congratulations to SB393 author Senator Melissa Hurtado for her leadership on this important issue,” said CAPK CEO Jeremy Tobias. “Migrant workers provide us all with access to fresh, healthy food and help California’s agricultural businesses sell their products into markets across the globe. The new law provides the Migrant Childcare Alternative Payment Program the resources it needs to ensure migrant workers can access childcare in any county in California and get the support they need to plant, grow and harvest food from fields, vineyards and orchards across the Golden State.”

Due to an outdated law, California’s critical farmworkers lost out on roughly $400,000 in additional childcare vouchers for families to access.  SB 393--The Farmworkers Access to Childcare Act-- addresses the unique operational costs of this program, such as the need to maintain five satellite offices for field workers to access childcare, as well as align the state’s only Migrant Childcare Program funding stream with other voucher based childcare programs.

This legislative session, Senator Hurtado introduced Senate Bill 464-- Comida Para Todos (Food for All Act.) This bill works towards providing greater food security to low-income immigrant workers by expanding eligibility for state funded nutrition benefits to anyone ineligible for CalFresh due solely to their immigration status. She successfully secured language in the budget speaking to the Legislature’s intent in working towards this end in future years. Senator Hurtado also introduced Senate Bill 108, which would have required California’s governmental agencies to consider the human right to food as they create, amend or adopt regulations. It will also require reporting on the current and future status of food, food production, and food assistance.

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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