Sonoma County Farmworkers Deserve Protection From Climate Change Risk

These are steps you can take right now to help North Bay Jobs with Justice achieve their critical mission:

Board of Supervisors meeting, Tuesday 8/30

This Tuesday 8/30, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will finally be discussing the issue of evacuation zone access and we have an opportunity to achieve some major victories around the farmworkers' demands. Can you please send an email to the Supervisors before 8/30 and/or join us in person or on zoom on 8/30?

If you can join for the meeting on Tuesday 8/30 at 8:30am

Please email Aura Aguilar (aura@northbayjwj.com) ASAP that you will join and come in person to 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa or join on zoom at https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/95105367810pwd=dkY2eGtQenh1STFxSTV1YlkxRzJjUT09

Email supervisors and their staff.

If you are going to send an email to the Supervisors before 8/30:

Here is message that you can use as an example to create your email:

To Sonoma County Board of Supervisors,

I am writing to you today about your proposed policy on farmworkers and evacuation zones. Since 2017, immigrant and Indigenous farmworkers have been working on the frontlines of climate change fueled wildfires in Sonoma County with only an interim and informal government program that allowed the wealthiest wine companies to send the lowest wage workers into evacuation zones. Now after only one year of workers speaking up and taking action, the County has started listening to the workers and the County staff is recommending a formal policy on evacuation zones that includes 3 of the “5 for Farmworkers in Fires” demands: Language Justice, Clean Bathrooms & Water, Disaster Insurance

In order to ensure that this program can truly be safe for the predominantly Latinx immigrant and indigenous farmworkers, an entity other than the Sheriff should implement the new, formal policy on evacuation zones because of the Sheriff's recent actions; including efforts to minimize the independent investigations called for in Measure P, the killing of farmworker David Pelaez Chavez, and their stated position against local sanctuary ordinances. If you must maintain the Sheriff in charge of the implementation, the Board of Supervisors must create clear oversight and enforcement of the Sheriff by:

Having companies provide their records of who is entering evacuation zones to the County
Developing a system for workers to lodge complaints that has authority outside of the Sheriff
Reviewing regularly the program to ensure that the sheriff does not make changes to this program that significantly alter the intent
Passing a sanctuary ordinance

If the Board of Supervisors does not create any oversight mechanism of the Sheriff's office, you are leaving workers and the community no choice but to enforce these improvements ourselves through direct action and coming back to the Board to hold you accountable for the actions of the Sheriff. Taking action today is a step forward, and the fight is far from over. If workers are going to work during wildfires and smoke, they deserve hazard pay for the risks that they are taking. We will continue to support workers in their push with the wine industry to provide extra pay on the frontlines of the worsening impacts of climate change.

Here are the emails of the Supervisors: chris.coursey@sonoma-county.org, Lynda.Hopkins@sonoma-county.org, Susan.Gorin@sonoma-county.org, district4@sonoma-county.org, David.Rabbitt@sonoma-county.org

Recommended Talking Points

Talking points that you can use in developing your comments and letter:

Since 2017, immigrant and Indigenous farmworkers have been working on the frontlines of climate change fueled wildfires in Sonoma County with only an interim and informal government program that allowed the wealthiest wine companies to send the lowest wage workers into evacuation zones.
Now after only one year of workers speaking up and taking action, the County has started listening to the workers and the County staff is recommending a formal policy on evacuation zones that includes 3 of the “5 for Farmworkers in Fires” demands: Language Justice, Clean Bathrooms & Water, Disaster Insurance
In order to ensure that this program can truly be safe for the predominantly Latinx immigrant and indigenous farmworkers, an entity other than the Sheriff should implement the new, formal policy on evacuation zones because of the Sheriff's recent actions; including efforts to minimize the independent investigations called for in Measure P, the killing of farmworker David Pelaez Chavez, and their stated position against local sanctuary ordinances.
If you must maintain the Sheriff in charge of the implementation, the Board of Supervisors must create clear oversight and enforcement of the Sheriff by:
- Having companies provide their records of who is entering evacuation zones to the County
- Developing a system for workers to lodge complaints that has authority outside of the Sheriff
- Reviewing regularly the program to ensure that the sheriff does not make changes to this program that significantly alter the intent
- Passing a sanctuary ordinance
If the Board of Supervisors does not create any oversight mechanism of the Sheriff's office, you are leaving workers and the community no choice but to enforce these improvements ourselves through direct action and coming back to the Board to hold you accountable for the actions of the Sheriff.
Taking action today is a step forward, and the fight is far from over. If workers are going to work during wildfires and smoke, they deserve hazard pay for the risks that they are taking. We will continue to support workers in their push with the wine industry to provide extra pay on the frontlines of the worsening impacts of climate change.

The Oakmont Progressives Club

Sonoma County Farmworkers Deserve Protection From Climate Change Risk

These are steps you can take right now to help North Bay Jobs with Justice achieve their critical mission:

The Oakmont
Progressives Club