18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 23-29, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com A Wide Net Including undocumented families in our safety nets is the only way forward, for Pajaro and beyond. By Maria Cadenas FORUM Thousands of families were forced to evacuate after the Pajaro and Salinas rivers flooded rural areas. The storms arrived at the beginning of the growing season, just as farmworkers were going back to work and farmers had prepped the land to grow the fruits and vegetables we all enjoy. The storms left families without a home, without work, and with possible contamination of drinking water. Fields are full of water, leaving farmworkers without a job and small farmers on the brink of bankruptcy. The economic impact is long term. It means a decrease in earnings for the entire year, with possible unemployment of six months, all while the region is still trying to recover from the devastating impacts of Covid, wildfires and recent storms. Furthermore, the cost of living and housing crisis in the region raise questions about where we can house displaced families, and put many at risk from predatory landlords and lenders. And if you are undocumented, you have no real recourse. This is especially important in the Monterey Bay region, home to the most-concentrated undocumented population in California. Most work in agriculture, services and hospitality—significant economic drivers. This means that when our undocumented neighbors don’t do well, neither do we. In 2020, Ventures launched UndocuFund Monterey Bay, which raised close to $5 million and provided unrestricted cash relief funds to almost 4,000 families. Our model trusted families to identify how to best support their needs, and piloted monthly stipends vs. one-time assistance. Our work strengthened a safety net for undocumented workers who are otherwise ineligible for federal and state support. UndocuFund emphasizes the dignity and autonomy of recipients to determine their own path for recovery and stabilization. And it works. As effective as UndocuFund is, it cannot replace a sustainable, equitable safety net that undocumented people can trust in times of crisis. This is especially true given the impact of climate change. A 2022 study from UC Merced found that undocumented workers, particularly those who work in agriculture, are most likely to be at risk for environmental disasters like flooding, drought and fires. We cannot have a meaningful regional recovery if we leave our undocumented families out. It is time for the state and our local government to implement what we have learned. Including undocumented families in federally and state-funded safety net programs is the only way forward. For example, California can ensure all workers receive unemployment benefits through the Safety Net for All Workers Act (SB 277), which would recognize undocumented immigrants’ contribution of over $3 billion in taxes and an estimated $485 million to the unemployment insurance system. Please ask your representatives to support inclusive recovery funds. Maria Cadenas is executive director of Ventures, a nonprofit that aims to empower working-class Latinos on the Central Coast. OPINION When our undocumented neighbors don’t do well, neither do we. PRESENTED BY
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