Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Universal Basic Income for Farmworkers? Hurtado Pushes for It
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 3 years ago on
June 16, 2021

Share

Melissa Montalvo, Author

CalMatters

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, a Democrat from 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.

“The drought, extreme heat, the pandemic, and overtime pay rules are creating a dire situation for them. By expanding the proposed UBI program to farmworkers, it’s not only an investment in farmworkers — but in all of California,” wrote Hurtado.

In his revised budget proposed last month, Newsom allocated $35 million to fund UBI pilot programs administered by local city or county governments. Under Newsom’s latest proposal, the funding would require a local-match commitment and must target low-income Californians.

portrait of state Sen. Melissa Hurtado

“By expanding the proposed UBI program to farmworkers, it’s not only an investment in farmworkers — but in all of California.”

— State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger)

Hurtado’s letter, which was also signed by six colleagues in state Legislature, also urges the governor to provide supplemental guaranteed income for California’s farmworkers that face reduced hours, unemployment, and displacement due to the worsening drought.

The drought limits the amount of land that can be farmed, which leads to a reduced number of hours farmworkers can work, explained Hurtado.

On days that temperatures exceed 100 degrees or more, farmworkers can only work six-hour maximum workdays, which also means less wages. A farmworker that works the maximum time allowed before overtime pay, at $14.25 an hour for 8.5 hours a day, will only bring home $2,500 a month. If there are only six days of 100-degree heat in a month, they will take home $2,200 for the month, Hurtado said in the letter.

Estimates of the number of agriculture workers in the state vary widely based on how data is gathered. UC Merced researcher Edward Flores estimates that in the central San Joaquin Valley, there are approximately 144,693 agricultural workers or 49.7% of California’s total of 290,959 agricultural workers aged 18-65.

Who Would Get the Money Under California’s UBI Pilot Program?

Universal basic income, also called universal guaranteed income, has gained attention in recent years as a strategy to alleviate poverty.

Under the leadership of former Mayor Michael Tubbs, Stockton ran the most notable universal basic income pilot program in the country, which awarded 125 people living in neighborhoods at or below Stockton’s median household income the unconditional monthly stipend of $500 for two years.

Critics of universal basic income say that such programs disincentivize people from working. Others cite the high costs of such a program. However, independent researchers found the Stockton program led to an increase in full-time employment, economic stability, and overall increased well-being in the Stockton participants.

Tubbs now serves as a special advisor to Newsom and has been instrumental in developing funding for the state’s proposed pilot program. Tubbs said they are waiting for the bill to move through the legislative process to finalize key details around its implementation, such as who would be eligible for the programs.

In response to Hurtado’s letter, Tubbs said he hopes to see state and local leaders focus on building a long-term policy that serves all Californians that need assistance.

“I would hate for it to be a shouting match over who deserves more,” said Tubbs in an interview with The Bee. “Everyone is slicing and dicing, like farmworkers, foster children, pregnant mothers,” he said. “With all this energy, let’s focus on getting a policy where everyone’s covered.”

“I would hate for it to be a shouting match over who deserves more. With all this energy, let’s focus on getting a policy where everyone’s covered.”

— Michael Tubbs, Former Stockton Mayor

Hurtado faced criticism earlier this year when she blocked the Senate Bill 65, also known as the California Momnibus Act, which would have provided guaranteed basic monthly income of $1,000 to primarily low-income, Black and Native American pregnant people in an effort to close the gap in racial health disparities.

Hurtado said she has reservations around a general universal basic income program, and thinks it should be a narrow program that exists “under certain circumstances for certain exceptions,” such as farmworkers.

It remains unclear whether undocumented residents in California would be allowed to qualify for the funding if the pilot program gets off the ground, but both Hurtado and Tubbs are hopeful.

“In an ideal world, yes, it should be expanded to all the undocumented farmworkers that are working,” Hurtado said.

Tubbs points to his universal basic income pilots in Stockton, and current pilots underway in Compton and Oakland, that select participants at random without asking for immigration status.

He also acknowledged that the state has increasingly included undocumented residents in other stimulus benefits, such as the Golden State Stimulus.

“So I definitely think that, in terms of the pilot, especially given our other investments in undocumented folks, undocumented Californians are included,” said Tubbs.

Mexican farmworkers weeding a field by hand in the San Joaquin Valley. (Shutterstock)

Local Group Says UBI Could Help Fresno-Area Residents, Especially Renters

Locally, the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission has confirmed it is leading a coalition of community groups to explore what a guaranteed income program could look like in Fresno, based on the promising results of the Stockton pilot program.

Fresno has some of the highest poverty and the highest concentrated poverty in the nation. Local supporters point out that a supplemental guaranteed income program in Fresno could turn housing from unaffordable to affordable for many Fresno renters, as outlined in the 2021 Fresno Affordable Housing Needs Report.

Hurtado, Tubbs, and local leaders say they are awaiting confirmation of the final budget, which is expected this month.

About the Author

Melissa Montalvo is a reporter with The Fresno Bee and a Report for America corps member. CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

[activecampaign form=27]

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

DON'T MISS

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

DON'T MISS

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

DON'T MISS

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

DON'T MISS

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

DON'T MISS

Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to Watch the Fight, Time, Odds

UP NEXT

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

UP NEXT

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

UP NEXT

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

UP NEXT

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,’ a Christian Comedy, Scores With Audience in Fresno Premiere

UP NEXT

Clovis Wants to Rein in Short-Term Rentals. Hearing Is Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Clovis Serves Up a Special Day for Veterans and Community

UP NEXT

Dust Storm Knocks Out Power in Fresno Area, Causes Massive Pile-Up in Madera

UP NEXT

Free Sandwiches in Fresno. No Strings Attached, Says Marijuana-Themed Deli.

UP NEXT

How Many Drivers Did Fresno PD Nab in Latest DUI Checkoint?

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

30 mins ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

37 mins ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

1 hour ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

3 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

3 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Said No, but California Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes

4 hours ago

Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to Watch the Fight, Time, Odds

4 hours ago

Travel in the West Bank Is a Tale of Two Journeys

4 hours ago

Chris Wallace Is Leaving CNN, Eager to Explore New Media Landscape

5 hours ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

5 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Leonel Hernandez, 51, of Parlier, faces serious charges in what prosecutors say was a years-long scheme to defraud the California Employment...

12 mins ago

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
12 mins ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
15 mins ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

19 mins ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

30 mins ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

37 mins ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

Photo of David Bernhardt
1 hour ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

Nathaniel Lujano, 23, of Tulare, a known gang member was sentenced to life without parole for two 2022 murders, committed to benefit a criminal street gang. (Tulare County DA)
3 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

Photo of David Bernhardt
3 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

Search

Send this to a friend