Bills aimed to expand farmworker housing in California signed into law

(KCBS RADIO) – California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a trio of bills aimed at expanding housing for farmworkers.

These two bills will boost access to affordable housing specifically for California farm laborers as well as cut red tape making it easier to build farmworker housing.

Gov. Newsom signed the legislation during a stop in Fresno Tuesday, saying that farmworkers are the backbone of California's multi-billion dollar ag-industry.

“We’re not ever gonna turn our back on rural Californians and particularly Fresno, we’ve got an incredible partnership here in Fresno across a myriad of issues – including on economic and workforce development,” the governor said during the visit.

Newsom added that farmworkers play a critical role in ensuring the stability of the state, nation and the world's food supply.

State Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula - the author of one of the bills - said the legislation will expand access to housing for farmworkers and their families.

“As the demographics of our farm workers have changed from what was traditionally single men to now being more family-centric,” stated Assemblymember Arambula, “it was important that we gave options to our farm workers so that they could have that stability.”

A third bill is designed to protect the health and safety of farmworkers during states of emergency.

The extreme lack of farm worker housing was in the spotlight last year following the deadly mass shooting in Half Moon Bay.

At the time, Newsom lamented the fact that some workers on a mushroom farm were living in shipping containers.