Governor Newsom signs new laws to expand farmworker housing and cut red tape

News

Sep 24, 2024

What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed two bills to boost access to affordable housing for California's farmworkers: AB 2240 and AB 3035. Governor Newsom also signed SB 1105 to help protect the health and safety of farmworkers in states of emergency.

FRESNO - Today, Governor Newsom expanded California's housing efforts for farmworkers, signing two bills: AB 2240 (Arambula) and AB 3035 (Pellerin). These measures improve access to affordable housing for agricultural workers and make it easier to build farmworker housing.

"Farmworkers are the backbone of California's nation-leading agricultural industry and play a critical role in ensuring the stability of the state, nation and world's food supply. Investing in their well-being is investing in California's success. All families deserve access to safe and stable housing."

Governor Gavin Newsom

Why this matters

Access tomore stable and safe housing for farmworkers allows families to avoid the disruptions caused by seasonal movement, helping children remain enrolled in the same schools and maintain their academic progress. Today's action builds upon Governor Newsom's efforts to protect and support farm workers across the state, including signing SB 1105 (Padilla), which allows farmworkers to use accrued paid sick leave during heat, flooding or smoke conditions when there is a local or state emergency.

What the bills do

➡️ Expand housing for farmworkers

• AB 2240 (Arambula) helps create more stable housing for migrant farmworkers by maximizing the Department of Housing & Community Development's (HCD) Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program (Serna Program), which supports the development of both multifamily and single-family housing restricted to farmworkers. The bill would authorize HCD to prioritize residents currently residing in seasonal Office of Migrant Services (OMS) housing for more permanent and stable housing through the Serna program.
• AB 2240 also creates new opportunities to build permanent and stable affordable farmworker housing by identifying and prioritizing the use of state-owned excess land near OMS centers for farmworker housing.
• AB 2240 requires HCD to assess the feasibility of converting temporary Office of Migrant Services housing into year-round, permanent housing, ensuring a strategic approach to meeting long-term housing needs.

➡️ Remove regulatory barriers

• AB 3035 (Pellerin) cuts through regulatory red tape by streamlining the approval process for farmworker housing in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, speeding up development to meet the urgent demand for more housing.
• By raising the housing unit cap from 36 to 150 in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, AB 3035 will enable larger developments in areas with access to essential services, addressing issues of overcrowding and inadequate living conditions.

➡️ Protect the health and safety of workers

• SB 1105 (Padilla)allows agricultural employees who work outside to use their accrued paid sick leave to avoid smoke, heat, or flooding conditions created by a local or state emergency.

Details on the farmworker housing grant program

• The Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program (Serna) is administered by HCD and supports the development of both multifamily and single-family housing restricted to farmworkers.

• Between the years of 1978 and 2018, approximately $271.5 million was awarded, which funded the 138 Serna multi-family projects in HCD's existing portfolio.
• Over the past 5 years, HCD has awarded more than $300 million in Serna funds for the development of 56 new projects for farmworkers with approximately 3,577 housing units. Additionally, in the 2023 funding round, HCD awarded $110M for 10 new Serna projects that include 618 additional housing units. These 4,195 homes will serve many tens of thousands of Californians during the 55-year affordability period.

Bills signed today

• AB 2240 by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) - Farm labor centers: migratory agricultural workers.
• AB 3035 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Clara) - Farmworker housing.
• SB 1105 by Senator Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) - Paid sick leave: agricultural employees: emergencies.

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