The Supreme Court ruled that labor unions do not have the right to enter farms to organize, striking down a 46 year-old California law. Farm groups and property rights advocates say it was a long time coming; the union says it is a small step backward. Fresno County-based Fowler Packing...
Mass Vaccination, ‘Si Se (Something)’ and the First Lady
The event featuring first lady Jill Biden at the historic Forty Acres in Delano was fitting for Cesar Chavez Day. Hundreds of farmworkers gathered at Agbayani Village — the lodging portion of the former UFW headquarters turned National Park Service site — and marched to wait in line to receive...
State Sending COVID Team to Fresno & Madera Counties as Harvest Begins
The state is sending a team to help battle the number of rising COVID-19 infections in Fresno and Madera counties. Fresno County calls it a "unified support" team that will collaborate with leaders here to best determine where and how they deploy. Fresno County officials also confirm that part of...
Today’s Protests Against Racism Carry Echoes of Farmworker Equity Struggle
Across this nation, there are vehement peaceful and sometimes violent protests against the insidious racism that is literally suffocating our citizens. Many are desperately searching for the next Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, or Rosa Parks to galvanize the efforts and unify the people. Alas, no single leader has...
Delano Declares Itself a Sanctuary City From ICE
A Valley city known as a birthplace of the farmworker rights movement has declared itself a sanctuary city, even as Delano's leaders conceded the stance against immigration enforcement is largely symbolic. The Delano City Council voted Monday night to approve a resolution declaring the Kern County town of 53,000 a...
Opinion: Honor Chavez Legacy by Confronting UFW Corruption
Cesar Chavez spent his life trying to improve life for farmworkers, fighting for changes he felt would bring about civil rights and justice for workers. At the end of this month, California state legislators plan to honor Cesar Chavez’s birthday as a day of public service. The work Cesar Chavez...
Before Losing Quorum, ALRB Rules in Favor of Longtime Nemesis
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest pick for the California Public Utilities Commission will leave her former board shorthanded. Last week, Newsom appointed Genevieve Shiroma to the CPUC. She had served on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board since 1999. A Newsom spokesman says Shiroma will be unable to hold both positions. The...
Cox Blasts High-Speed Rail as 'Monument to Corruption'
Earlier this month, Gavin Newsom rolled into Fresno on a big blue bus. Thursday (Sept. 27), his gubernatorial opponent John Cox rolled into town in a big green bus. Cox, the Republican candidate, met with Sheriff Margaret Mims, taking a tour of a jail program. Then, his bus rolled to...
Five Years Later, Tally Shows Gerawan Workers Want UFW Gone
“No Union. No Union.” That was the refrain from ALRB field examiner Veronica Cervantes as she read off ballots Tuesday from a 2013 election asking Gerawan Farming workers whether they wanted United Farm Workers union representation. At the end of the nearly five-hour count, 1,098 ballots indicated that Gerawan workers...
Supervisor Mendes Floats Alternate Site for Animal Shelter
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors hit the pause button Tuesday on whether to approve a zoning change that would permit a low-cost animal shelter/clinic to be built in northwest Fresno. Now, one supervisor has raised the possibility of the county building an animal shelter in a different part of the...