$1M For Farmworker Housing Approved By Supervisors

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is continuing to explore ways to provide more housing for farmworkers in the county, nearly four months after a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay exposed an urgent need for more living options for agricultural workers with low income.

Supervisors at their regular meeting Tuesday approved dedicating $1 million to kickstart planning, project management and other work for dozens of manufactured housing units.

"We are 100 percent committed to this effort," Supervisor Ray Mueller said. "This $1 million represents the startup costs necessary to move forward with speed."

The money is coming from funding from Measure K, the county's half-cent sales tax. The Half Moon Bay Farmworker Project calls for placing between 45 to 50 manufactured housing units at a yet-to-be determined location in Half Moon Bay.

The county is seeking grant money from the state to help fund the plan through the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program, which is designed to help farmworkers become homeowners.

Housing for farmworkers in the county became a focus for the Board of Supervisors after shootings at two farms in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23 revealed many farmworkers living in substandard or unpermitted housing on farm sites.

The county is seeking options for long-term housing for 19 families that were displaced after the shootings.

"All of our farm working families deserve a safe and healthy place to live," Mueller said. "If we are going to ensure that we maintain a thriving agricultural community on our coast, what we need more than anything else are affordable homes for our farmworkers and their families."

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